


How To Bend Not Break The Rules

by oakleaf_bearer



Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: Gen, POV Original Character, POV Outsider, Rated T for swearing, Swearing, Teacher Jon, everything is okay, post fixing the apocalypse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-15
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:14:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 36
Words: 46,867
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25290736
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oakleaf_bearer/pseuds/oakleaf_bearer
Summary: after fixing the apocalypse, jon gets a job as history teacher-main story finishes at chapter 13, after that it's prompts
Relationships: Martin Blackwood/Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist
Comments: 2095
Kudos: 1781
Collections: RaeLynn's Epic Rec List





	1. Chapter 1

Standing in a room full of 15 year olds who are all staring at you can feel a bit like floating in a swimming pool surrounded by hungry sharks: terrifying, but ultimately your own fault for deciding to climb in in the first place. 

Dana Maxwell always felt somewhat bad for new teachers because of this, but the new history teacher was seeming to take it all in his stride. He was perched on the edge of the desk, watching the students file into the room, a serious expression on his face. He watched the students take their seats and start getting the things out of their bags before turning to Dana and saying "Ms Maxwell, shall I begin?"

She waved him down. "I'll say a little piece first if that's alright with you. And Jon, call me Dana."

He nodded, stepping aside for her to speak. 

Dana clapped her hands together to her everyone's attention. The chatter about the new teacher died down almost immediately, and the class started up at them expectantly. "Right everyone, as you all probably know, Mr Lewis has retired, so you've all got a new history teacher. This is Mr Sims, he'll be taking over the course. I trust you'll all give him a nice warm welcome and help him settle in well." She turned to Jon, who smiled politely at her. Dana was struck by the Englishness of his expression and suppressed a chuckle. "I'll leave you all to it. Play nice, class." 

-

Mr Sims was..... odd, Anna mused. He was dressed like a person pretending to know how teachers dress, with a blazer over a knitted jumper, dark green bold against the stark white shirt collar poking out from underneath. He would've seemed quite professional if his clothes weren't slightly too big for him and he didn't look like he hadn't slept in over a year. He had sizeable bags under his eyes, and his hair was pulled back into a messy bun, loose tendrils of hair snaking their way out in a hectic mess.

More notable, was the myriad of scars covering his face. Small circular marks littered his cheeks, some dangerously close to his eyes, and Anna could see more on the back of his hands. On his right palm, a painful looking burn scar twisted the skin. Anna wondered if it was her imagination, or if the pattern did actually look like a handprint.

"I'm sure you all have questions," Mr Sims voice broke her from her trance. He was stood next to the whiteboard, a pen in his hand, scrawling something in a messy, disjointed handwriting, ignoring the whisperings in response to his English accent. "But we have a lot to get through this lesson. Mr Lewis, while undoubtedly an excellent teacher, did leave his notes in somewhat of a state."

The class muttered at that. They were all too familiar with Mr Lewis's non-existent organisation. More than a few papers had been lost over the years.

"Luckily, we are starting a new project." Mr Sims stepped away from the whiteboard. Behind him, the words 'Roman Britain' were scribbled on centre of the board. 'Can anyone tell me anything they know about the Roman's already?'

A few hands went up, and Mr Sims considered them for a moment before pointing to Colin, a friend of Anna's who sat a few rows in front of her.

"They paid soldiers in salt."

Mr Sims nodded and wrote it down on the board. As he was writing, he said "They called salt 'sal' which is where we get the word 'salary' from." 

He pulled a face after he spoke, like he hadn't meant to say it. "Thank you, Colin. Anyone else?"

A few more people put up their hands, and slowly the board became full of facts. Occasionally, Mr Sims would add on an extra fact or correct a small mistake, but everytime a student spoke, he thanked them by name.

It wasn't until lunch that Anna figures out why that was strange.

"He never did a register." She said, stopping in the middle of the corridor.

Her friends turned to her, confused. 

"Mr Sims. He didn't do a register. How did he know our names?" 

"Maybe he looked on the system?" Megan said. 

"And just remembered? He didn't go near his computer once the whole lesson." 

Colin hummed. "I'm with Anna. Guy is weird." 

"Do you think he'll let us back in the classroom?" Megan was fishing around in her backpack. "I think I left my pencil case." 

Together, they doubled back, retracing their steps to the classroom. 

"Theories on the scars?" 

"Colin, I don't think it's our business." 

"I reckon he was a solider or something." 

"He doesn't seem like a soldier." Megan pointed out. "He's too scrawny." 

"Spy?" 

"If he's too scrawny to be a soldier, surely he's too scrawny to be a spy?" 

Colin waved a hand. "Different rules for spies." 

"I don't know if there is." Anna hummed.

"If you can look at a spy and say 'That's a spy,' then that's a bad spy." Megan said. "They have to blend in." 

"Mr Sims doesn't exactly blend in." 

"That's why he's not a spy anymore." 

-

Jon sighed, pushing his hair out if his face. He slumped down in his chair and looked around the now empty room. Apparently learning a course is easier when you have the help of an all-seeing knowledge being, but it doesn't make imparting that knowledge onto a class any more simple. 

He leaned down, picking up the bag that he had pushed under the desk that morning. He pulled out the lunchbox Martin had packed him that morning. 

The lunchbox had started as a joke. When Jon had applied for the newly opened position of history teacher, Martin had told him that he should start actually taking proper lunches and not just survive on staff room tea like he had in the archives. A few days later, Martin has returned from a shopping trip clutching a plastic bag and grinning wildly. He'd dropped the bad in Jon's lap and eagerly watched him pull out the plastic box inside. On the lid, a highland cow peaked out from behind a shaggy fringe. 

Jon opened the lunchbox, smiling at the memory. Inside sat a carefully wrapped sandwich, a bright piece of paper placed on top. 

_'Enjoy your first day! - Martin :)'_

Martin's careful handwriting started up at him. Jon smiled. God he was smitten. 

A knock at the door startled him out of his moment of reflection. 

Looking up, he saw one of his students, Megan, standing awkward in the doorway. 

"Um, hi Mr Sims. I think I left my pencil case in here earlier." 

Jon nods, and gestures for her to come in. 

"It's over on the windowsills, I believe." Jon watches her cross the room to fetch it, and wonders to himself if he had actually noticed or if the Eye had offered him that piece of information without him realising. 

Megan nodded at him in thanks and went to leave the room. 

She paused at the door. "Mr Sims?" 

"Yes?" 

"How did you know our names?" 

Jon stared at her, thoughtfully. 

"I looked on the system." 


	2. Chapter 2

The kettle finished boiling right as the front door opened, and Martin grinned at his good timing. He poured the water into the mugs as he heard Jon call out from the hallway. 

"I'm home." 

"I'm in the kitchen." Martin fished the teabag out of the mugs and poured in the milk. "How was work?" 

Jon appeared behind him in time to snag the mug Martin passed him as he turned. He took a deep sip. "It wasn't too bad. The rest of the staff were very accommodating. Friendly." He sighed. "I have a lot of work to do though. I think Mr Lewis would've gotten on well with Gertrude. His system is almost worse than hers." 

"Oh god, I didn't even think that was possible." 

Jon hummed, taking another sip of the tea. Martin picked up the milk and crossed the small kitchen to the fridge. Halfway there, Jon snaked an arm around his waist and tugged him closer. 

"I missed you today. Thank you for my note." 

Martin felt a smile spread across his face. He leaned down so his face was inches away from Jon's. "I missed you too." 

The kiss was short, not much more than a brush of their lips, both smiling and in love. It was the casual sort of kiss that came from easy familiarity, enough time spent around each other that every touch was no longer electric and every kiss wasn't dizzying. 

It had been a long and, at times, painful road, but they were finally okay. 

Martin smiled again. 

"Were you alright here on your own today?" Jon murmured into the crook of his neck. 

"Yeah." Martin said. "I finally got some peace and quiet around here." 

Jon's laugh is more just a huff of breath against his neck. "I just worry." 

"I know, Jon. I was fine, I promise." 

"Good. Come on, let's make dinner." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was just a short interlude about everyone's favourite boys. they deserve the world


	3. Chapter 3

The first time Mr Sims accidentally slipped up and said something truly bizarre was when the subject of gladiators came up. Someone had said that they would hate to get stabbed and Mr Sims had said "Being stabbed doesnt hurt as much as you'd think. Shock is a hell of a drug." and then promptly looked like he wanted to punch himself in the face.  
The class had been silent for a beat, and then erupted into questions.  
"Mr Sims, have you been stabbed?"  
"How do you know that?"  
"What?"  
"Hey I have a quick question, what the fu-"  
"Language, Colin. Now, does anyone know what a retiarius fought with?"  
"Oh come on, Mr Sims." Megan whined. "You have to tell us about when you got stabbed."  
Mr Sims glanced around the class. They were all eagerly leaning forward. He sighed deeply. "Get an A on the next test, and I will."  
Chaos erupted again. 

-

"He doesn't like circuses." Megan said through a mouthful of food. "Make sure you write that down."  
Colin nodded and added it to the list.  
Officially, the list was titled 'Things we know about the enigmatic Mr Sims'.  
Most of the time it was just referred to as 'Wtf is wrong with this man'.  
Megan, Anna, and Colin were huddled around the sticky plastic table in the corner of Colin's mum's cafe, a plate of chips in front of them.  
"Or spiders."  
The list had gradually grown over the course of several lessons. Every time Mr Sims said something about himself, it was added.  
Debate was held over wether the fact he had once had, or at least lived in the same house as, a cat.  
Anna had won. It had been added.  
Colin stood and ducked behind the counter. He fished around in the fridge for some drinks cans and put them on a tray. "I still stand by the spy theory, his anecdotes are too weird be from a-"  
The bell above the door rang as it swung open. Colin froze behind the counter.  
Seeing his expression, Anna and Megan turned to see who had come in.  
Mr Sims was stood motionless in the doorway. He was wearing a too baggy t-shirt that hung off his shoulders. The straight, even line of a scar traced along his neck.  
"Uh, hi Mr Sims." Colin recovered first. "What can I get you?"  
Mr Sims shook himself back into action. "Um, two teas to go, please."  
Colin turned to make the teas, and Anna pulled a face at Megan. She stifled a giggle, and Mr Sims turned towards the noise with a small, tense smile.  
"£3, please."  
Colin held out the teas to Mr Sims, who pulled the change out of his pocket.  
"Thank you. Uh, have a good day."  
"You too, Mr Sims."  
He nodded awkwardly at them, and left.  
The door swung shut behind him.  
The teens stared at each other for a beat before Anna leaned over and wrote 'throat scar???' on the list.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the 16th fear is seeing your teachers in public 
> 
> oaks history lesson of the day: a retiarius was a type of gladiator that fought with a weighted net, a trident, and a dagger 
> 
> i know i just posted 2 chapters in 5 minutes, but sue me, i had them ready to go 
> 
> come find me on tumblr @illbefunnylater or @oakleaf--bearer for my writing blog


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING  
> MAJOR spoilers for the end of season 3  
> this has been mostly spoiler free so far, but this is massive so don't read if you haven't finished season 3  
> you have been warned

Anna thrust her phone in front of Colin. 

"Read." 

"What?" 

"The article. Read it. Out loud." 

Colin shot a look at Megan, who just shrugged. He took Anna's phone and began to read. 

" _Explosion at wax museum leaves man in impossible coma_. Anna, what is this?" 

She gestured for him to continue. 

"An explosion at the House of Wax Museum in Great Yarmouth has left one man dead and another in critical condition. 

Police are reporting that the explosion was caused by plastic explosives, traces of which were found in the basement of the building. 

"Remains of one man, identified as Timothy Stoker, were found inside the wreckage, while another, identified as Jonathan Sims, has been left- wait, what?" 

Anna nodded enthusiastically. "Scroll down, there's a picture of him." 

Colin scrolled. There was indeed a picture of a tersely smiling, unscarred Mr Sims surrounded by people. The caption listed them as Sasha James, Timothy Stoker, and Martin Blackwood, all employees of a place called The Magnus Institute. 

"Okay, what the fuck? How did you find this?" Megan asked. 

Anna waved the question away. "He was in a coma, but get this," She leaned forward. "He didn't have a heartbeat and he wasn't breathing." 

"Anna, if you don't have a heartbeat and you aren't breathing, you're dead." 

"And yet he's up and about, teaching us about Roman Britain for several hours every week." 

"Are we sure it's him? Could it be a brother?" 

"Possibly? The picture says it was taken in 2015, but maybe it was before he got all his scars?" Colin hummed. "He still hasn't told us how he got any of them." 

"Could they have happened in the explosion?" 

"I don't know. My knowledge of shrapnel related scars is limited, but it is a possibility." 

Megan took the phone off Colin and scrolled further down. "Why was he even there in the first place?"

"Apparently it was a work trip." 

"No offence to whoever organised that, but that is a terrible work trip. Even without the explosion, a wax museum isn't exactly the first thing you think of when you say 'fun day out with coworkers'."

Megan laughed. "Points for originality, I guess." 

Anna leaned over her arm to look at the screen. "It doesn't say when he woke up, but there's no way it wasn't him, right?" 

"It definitely looks like him. Do we ask about it?" 

"I don't think so. I can't imagine it's a good memory." Colin said. "One of his coworkers died." 

The girls hummed in agreement. They were silent for a second, considering this new nugget of information about their teacher, before Megan said "Do we add the fact he might be a zombie to the list?" 

-

"I told you it was going to rain." 

"No, Colin, you said 'we should be back before it rains'. If anything, that makes this more your fault than mine." Anna snapped back. 

"Hey, you're the one who said that an umbrella would be too much to carry!" 

"Yeah, so we should just stay inside!" 

"Guys, not to interrupt this riveting conversation, but those clouds are getting darker." 

They turned to look where Megan was pointing. Dark clouds sat hunched over the horizon, inching towards where they were stood. 

A low rumble of thunder rolled across the sky. 

"We really don't want to be out here if there's lightning." Megan said, pulling her hood lower. 

On cue, a flash off lightning cut across the sky, thunder roaring behind it. Anna yelped and hugged closer to Colin. 

"How fast can we make it back to the village?" 

"It took us over an hour to get here when it was dry." 

"What about there?" Colin pointed to a cottage sitting in the valley below them. Warm yellow light spilled from the windows, bright against the building gloom. 

"And get murdered by strangers? No way." 

"It's that or get struck by lightning. Megan, vote, Murder Cottage or not?" 

Megan looked back up at the clouds. "Let's take our chances with Murder Cottage. They might have a phone we can use. Mine's dead." 

Together, they trudged down the hill, holding each other to stop themselves slipping in the mud. 

The rain was coming heavier by the time they reached the bottom. It had almost soaked through their coats, and their shoes were sodden. 

Megan looked back at the others when they reached the cottage. Colin shrugged and gestures for her to go ahead, and Anna just pulled her coat tighter around herself. 

Megan knocked on the wooden door, three hard thumps. 

For a moment, there was silence, and Megan wondered if there isn't going to be a response, but then the door opened and a large man in a fraying jumper peered out at them. 

"Yes?" He said. 

"Uh, hi, sorry. We got caught in the storm and our phones are dead." Megan stammered out. 

"Oh." He replied. "Come in, you look soaked." 

He moved aside to let them in. Cautiously, they stepped into the small hallway, and were immediately enveloped by the warmth inside the cottage. 

"Hang your coats up there." He pointed to a line of hooks next to the door. "Can I get you any tea?" 

Before any of them could respond, a rustling sound came from one of the doors off the hallway. 

"Martin? Who was it?" A voice called from one of the rooms. 

"Some kids who got stuck in the storm." The man, presumably Martin, called back. 

A hunched figure stepped into the hallway, and Megan froze in the middle of shrugging off her coat. 

Mr Sims stared between the three of them, eyes wide. 

He was scruffy and rumpled from sleep, and his hair was loose around his shoulders. He was wearing a baggy t-shirt, with the logo for _What the Ghost?_ splashed across the front. 

"Uh, hello again." 

"Oh, you know them?" Martin asked from behind them. 

Mr Sims nodded, recovering slightly. "They're some of my students." 

"We got caught in the storm. We didn't realise it was going to be so bad." Anna said, fidgeting. 

"Oh, I see. There's a phone in there you can use." He said, pointing to the room he'd just come out of. "Martin, would you help me make everyone some tea?" 

"Yep. Go ahead and make yourselves comfortable. We'll be back out in a second." Martin said, smiling. 

He vanished into the kitchen. Mr Sims nodded at them and followed behind him. 

Megan stepped into the living room. It was small, but cosy, with a fire crackling in the fireplace, filling the room with warmth and light. A sofa sat in the centre of the room, with two plush armchairs pulled up next to it. 

Anna perched on the edge of one of the armchairs. "Well that was unexpected."

"So, Martin. Definitely Martin Blackwood from the article, right?" Colin looked between the girls. 

Megan nodded. "Absolutely." 

"Wild." He dropped down onto the sofa.

Anna picked up the phone from the coffee table. She punched in some numbers and held it up to her ear. 

"I feel sort of bad for him. We've caught him off guard twice. It must be weird, us showing up to his house- hello? Hi Mum, it's me." She turned away to talk to her mum as she picked up. 

Martin appeared in the doorway carrying a tray of mugs. "Here you are. I wasn't sure how everyone takes it, so I just made a pot." He put the tray down on the coffee table. "Jon found some biscuits as well, so help yourselves." 

Mr Sims placed a plate of biscuits on the table and took his own mug. Martin sat down in the free armchair, and Mr Sims balanced on the arm. 

Colin poured three mugs of tea and passed one to Megan. She took a deep sip and felt the warmth spread through her body. It was good. Better than good. Megan sank back into the sofa, humming appreciatively. 

"Thank you. It's delicious." 

Martin waved the compliment away, but Mr Sims chuckled. "He makes the best tea." 

Anna hung up, turning back towards them. "Mum says she'll be here in 5 minutes. She says thank you for letting us come in." 

"It was no trouble." Martin said, smiling. It was warm and welcoming, and Megan felt herself smile back. "We don't mind guests." 

"Martin's just happy to be able to make tea for someone who isn't me." Mr Sims smiled down at him. It was a strangely lovesick expression to see from their gruff, secretive history teacher. 

"You at least say thank you now. You used to say nothing." 

"I used to be an ass." Mr Sims said, then froze. He turned to the trio. "Don't repeat that." 

Colin laughed. "Of course not, Mr Sims. I don't know where you get the idea that we would ever use that kind of language." 

Martin huffed a laugh. "Mr Sims. I've never heard anyone say it, it sounds so strange." 

Mr Sims frowned at him. "I am a teacher, Martin. I could hardly let them call me Jon." 

"Yeah, but still. It makes you sound so formal." He wrapped an arm around him waist. "Anyway, why were you all out in the storm?" 

"We weren't supposed to be. We didn't think it would take so long. Colin has a photography project that he's working on, so we went to help and lost track of time. Our phones died, so we were a bit stuck." Megan explained. "We saw your cottage and thought we might be able to use your phone. We didn't realise you lived here." 

"It's alright. It's better that you found us than someone..." Mr Sims trailed off. "Not so nice." He said, carefully.

"I did warn them that this might be a murder cabin." Anna huffed, then immediately turned bright red. 

Martin let out a laugh. "No, this isn't a murder cabin. At least, not anymore. No promises about the person we bought it off." 

"Basira promised me no one has died here. At least recently. I trust her- oh, your mother's outside, Anna." Mr Sims cocked his head to the side, staring into the middle distance.

Anna started. "Oh, I didn't hear the car." 

"I uhh, I have good hearing." 

A knock came from the door, and Mr Sims stood to go answer it. Megan put her empty mug down on the tray and stood. "Thank you for the tea, it was lovely." 

Martin pushed himself to his feet. "It was no trouble. Stay safe out there." 

They wandered out to the hallway, where Anna's mum was thanking Mr Sims profusely. 

"Oh there you all are. Charge your phones next time!" 

"Sorry, Mum." 

"No matter. Come on, I left the car on. Thank you again." 

Anna's mum ushered them out to the car. Once safely inside, Megan waved back at the silhouettes of Mr Sims and Martin where they were stood in the doorway. They waved back, and Martin said something that made Mr Sims laugh. He leaned his head on the taller mans shoulder, and Megan looked away, feeling like she was intruding into a private moment. 

As the car trundled down the rough driveway, Anna turned back to Megan and Colin in the backseat. 

"So Mr Sims is a _What the Ghost?_ fan?" 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is dedicated to my loving friend, bibsy, whom i murdered last night  
> gone but not forgotten 
> 
> me writing this chapter: the readers can have a little martin, as a treat 
> 
> fr, this was a fun chapter to work on bc i love martin and i would die for him


	5. Chapter 5

"It's not a mandatory event, but we all go." Dana stabbed at her pasta. "We all bring the spouses and have a nice time."

"Are you married, Jon?" Myra asked. 

"Not married, no, but I have a boyfriend."

Phillip leaned forward. "Does he enjoy trivia nights?" 

Jon shrugged. "Possibly. I'll ask him." 

"Brilliant! We have a team now! I'll let Charlotte know." 

The bell rang, and some of the teachers stood to shuffle off to their lessons. 

On the way to the door, Dana stopped by Jon. "Don't worry." She put a hand on his shoulder. "We always do terribly, so don't stress about getting all the answers. It's just a bit of fun." 

-

"Trivia night?" Martin raised an eyebrow. 

"It's a fundraiser thing for the school. It means we can actually afford glue sticks and books for the library." Jon passed him another plate to dry. "Apparently funding for schools is so bad we have to rely on things like this."

"And your coworkers will be there?" 

"A few of them. There's a few that I tend to eat lunch with, they're all going." He explained. 

"Okay, first, I'm proud of you for eating proper lunches, second, you're sure? You don't have to introduce me to your coworkers if you don't want to." 

Jon paused his scrubbing and turned towards Martin. "Why wouldn't I want to?" 

"Well, you know," Martin fidgeted. "I'm not exactly..." He trailed off, wringing the tea towel in his hands. 

"Martin, look at me." 

Martin did. 

"I love you, you know that right?" 

Martin nodded. He knew Jon loved him. Jon was too bad of a liar to be faking the smiles and the kisses and the mornings spent curled in bed ignoring the world. 

"So why wouldn't I want you to meet my coworkers?" 

"You were never the most open person when we worked at the archives. I don't you ever told us anything about your life outside of work."

"And I also used to lie about my age to make myself seem more important. I've changed. I love you and I want you to meet my coworkers. I want us to be normal for once." Jon turned back to his washing up. "Besides, you're clever, and it's a quiz night. You're invaluable." 

Martin laughed. "Oh yeah, like Jonathan 'Walking Google' Sims is going to be awful at trivia." 

"I don't know what you mean by that." Jon replied, put out. 

"Of course you don't. You just happened to know the answers to all of the questions on The Chase last night." 

Jon ducked his head, sheepish. "To be fair, that was an accident." 

-

"Oh god, I haven't been in a school since- well, since I was in school. This is bringing back memories." Martin peered through the windshield. 

Jon scanned around, looking for a parking space on the crowed car park. "You get used to it eventually, I think." 

"You think, or you hope?" 

Jon smiled. "A bit of both. It still feels a bit like I'm going to get detention every time the head calls me into her office."

"I can't imagine you in high school. What were you like?" 

Jon pulled into a space. "As expected, mostly. I didn't start getting adventurous until university." 

Martin laughed at that. "I dread to think what you think is adventurous."

"Oh, like you were such a rebel?"

"I lied on my cv, Jon." 

Jon drummed his fingers on the steering wheel and stared up at the school. "Point taken. Right, are you ready for a night of small talk and trivia?" 

Martin reached out and squeezed his hand. "More than. Come on."

A sound system had been set up at one end of the hall and someone had wheeled the lunch tables in and lined them along the length of the room. People milled about between the tables. Some students huddled together, chatting, and a few parents wandered around, looking at the displays or catching up with neighbours. 

Jon caught site of Colin, Anna, and Megan, who waved when they saw him and Martin. Martin waved back, smiling. "They're good kids." 

Jon hummed in agreement. 

A table stood next to the door with a collection of raffle prizes displayed atop it. 

"Oh, let's get some tickets." Martin said, reaching into his pockets for change. "How much?"

"20p per ticket or £1 for a strip." The student ambassador next to the table replied. 

"Brilliant. Two strips, please." Martin handed over the change and took the strips of yellow paper he was offered. 

Jon took one of the strips and looked down at the numbers as they wandered further into the sea of tables. "You know I can't help you win this, right?" 

"Exactly." Martin hummed. "It's completely chance. You can't cheat."

"I don't cheat." 

"Yeah, yeah. Where is our team?"

"The table at the back, by the display board about the drama department." Jon pointed to where Dana was waving them over. 

He picked his way through the tables, trusting Martin to follow. 

Dana was on her feet before they reached her. "Hi Jon! Glad you made it, they're starting soon. You must be Martin." She thrust out her hand. "I'm Dana. I'm the other history teacher. I typically teach the younger years, but I sometimes help out when Jon needs me." 

Martin shook her hand, grinning widely. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

They sat, and Jon laced his fingers through Martin's under the table. 

"This is my husband, Hugh." Dana continued. "And that right there is Phillip and his wife, Charlotte."

Phillip held out a hand for Martin to shake. "I work over in the English department, and Charlotte is the drama teacher." 

"Is Myra here?" Jon asked. She wasn't sat at the table, but her bag was propped against one of the legs. 

"She's just taking her son to the toilet, she'll be back in a moment." Charlotte answered. "So, Martin. What do you do?" 

"I work in a farm shop. The one over by the river, with the green roof?" 

Phillip nodded. "Oh, I know the one. Nice place. We bought some knitted jumpers from there, didn't we?" The last part was directed at Charlotte, who nodded. 

"Very cosy."

Martin blushed. "I, uh, I think I may have knitted them."

Charlotte's enthusiastic response was cut short by a microphone squeal and the sound of someone hurriedly apologising. 

"Sorry, sorry! Dropped the mic!" Don, one of the caretakers and quizmaster for the evening. "We'll be starting in a moment."

"Oh, bloody hell, that startled me!" Myra's voice came from somewhere behind Jon. "I thought I was about to die." 

She dropped down into her seat next to Dana, her son, Frankie, wrapped in her arms. "You must be Martin. Lovely to meet you." 

Frankie stared at Martin, eyes wide and curious. He stuck out one chubby hand in the impression of a wave, and Martin waved back, beaming. 

"How did you two meet?" Myra asked, shifting Frankie to a more balanced position on her lap. 

"Through work. I was assigned to the position of head archivist, and Martin was one of my assistants." Jon supplied. "We didn't start dating until we both..." ran away after our boss tried to kill us both, "quit." 

Martin stopped pulling faces at Frankie. "Our first impression wasn't the best and I thought I'd missed my shot entirely. Jon wasn't too pleased with having me around." 

"You did let a dog into the archives."

"It was an accident."

"Sure."

Dana laughed. "That's a story I definitely want to hear." 

Jon opened his mouth to recount the disastrous tale of their first meeting and the subsequent banning of all animals in the archives, when Don's voice came over the speaker system.

"Evening everyone, how are we all feeling? Tonight's quiz will be a six rounds, and there will be a pause in the middle for the raffle. If you haven't bought your tickets yet, one of our student ambassadors will be coming round so you can get them then. The first round will be starting in five minutes." 

Phillip took the piece of paper that sat in the centre of the table. "I warn you Martin, we do terribly each year. Something about a team of teachers gives you terrible luck." 

Jon smiled. "I think we might be alright. 

Phillip seemed to be the designated person to write answers, and so most of the conversation was directed towards him. 

Martin sat back and watched Jon's coworkers chatter amongst themselves. They had the easy banter that came with knowing each other for a long time, and yet Martin didn't feel like he was on the outside. They often directed questions towards him and Jon, asking for their opinions or their services breaking ties after two opposing answers were offered. Jon laughed and smiled along with them, and Martin felt a happy pang somewhere deep in his gut.

They were allowed this. They were allowed things being easy. 

The thought made him smile. 

"What was the name of the original drummer of the Beatles?" Don asked. 

"Oh, that's easy, Ringo Starr." Phillip leant forward to jot it down on the sheet. 

Martin felt Jon's fingers twitch where their hands were linked under the table. 

He propped his chin on his hand and asked, sweetly. "Jon, something to add?" 

Jon swivelled to face him. 

"Pete Best was the original drummer of the Beatles. He was replaced with Ringo Starr in 1962. Best's fans were so angry that Starr left his first gig at the Cavern Club with a black eye." The words tumbled out before he could clap his hand across his mouth to stop them. 

"Oh wow, Jon. Didn't know you were a fan." Dana said. 

Jon shrugged. "I, uh, I just know a lot of trivia."

Dana nodded, satisfied, and leaned over to changed Phillip's answer. 

Martin leaned close to Jon's ear. "Cheater." He whispered, and revelled in the way Jon shuddered. 

"It was an accident."

"Sure."

"What is nyctophobia the fear of?" 

Jon answered quickly. "The dark."

He sank back slightly, a thoughtful look on his face. 

Phillip wrote the answer down, shaking his head. "I've never heard of that." 

"Me neither. You're good at this, Jon." 

"What is an octothorp commonly known as?" 

"Oh, I don't know. Jon?" 

Jon started. "Huh?" 

"Octothorp?" 

"A hashtag." He frowned. 

Martin tugged at his hand, encouragingly. He tugged back. 

Martin turned away from him, watching the others as they answered the questions. 

"Jon, you can be on our team every year. Seriously, that's the best we've ever done." Charlotte pulled her coat close around herself and looped her arm through Phillips. 

"We only got third." Jon replied, smiling. Martin wrapped an arm around his shoulders and pulled him close. 

Myra hefted Frankie higher on her hip. "And last year we got eighth. You're a lifesaver." 

"Jonathan Sims, Trivia God." Dana laughed. "I still think you were holding back though. I reckon you knew all of the answers." 

Jon laughed back. "Not even I'm that good. I'll see you all on Monday." 

There was a chorus of goodbyes as Jon turned away, pulling Martin with him. 

When they reached the car, Martin paused by Jon's door. 

Jon looked up at him, an eyebrow raised in an unspoken question. 

"Third?" Martin asked, a grin breaking out on his face. 

Jon frowned. "What, not good enough for you?" 

"Dana was right. You were holding back." 

Jon opened the car door. "I shall neither confirm nor deny those accusations." 

Martin opened the back door and deposited the box of chocolates they had won on the raffle onto the backseat. 

"Why not second?" 

"I wasn't aiming for a specific number, I just didn't want to get them all right." He sat down in the drivers seat. "I didn't know how I would explain knowing all of the answers." 

Martin climbed into the passenger seat. "You could've just said you're really good at trivia?" 

"Hmm. Maybe." Jon yawned. "Come on, let's go home. I'm exhausted. Apparently trying to not know things is worse than trying to know them." 

"Was it that bad?" 

"A whole night of questions is like being in an all-you-can-eat buffet. Trying to resist knowing the answers was like trying to ignore a plate of my favourite food or a mug of your tea." 

"I'm sorry." 

Jon waved the apology away. "No, I'm fine. I just want to go to bed and sleep in late tomorrow." 

Martin smiled at him. "Sounds like a plan to me." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ik i usually make jokes in the chapter notes, but instead i just want to take a quick second to thank:  
> MysticMallow  
> mona_liar  
> TiredPanAndNotAFan  
> heart_to_pen_to_paper  
> not_mikewazowski  
> tickingclockheart 
> 
> you guys leave a lot of comments and it means so much  
> every time i see one of you pop up in my notifications, it's a really nice feeling  
> ty so much for keeping me motivated to continue this fic, it's so nice reading all of your incredibly sweet comments  
> ty so much


	6. Chapter 6

"Where are you from?" Colin rolled his eyes at such a mundane question. Given the opportunity to ask their strange, cryptic teacher anything in the world, and Anna wanted to know where he was from. 

"Bournemouth originally, but I lived in London for quite some time before coming here." Mr Sims answered with a small smile.

Colin stuck up his hand. Mr Sims glossed over him as he pointed to Olivia. 

"Why did you move?" 

Mr Sims considered it for a second before answering. "My boyfriend and I had just.. quit our jobs. Our boss was-" He trailed off. "Our boss wasn't the best. We needed to get out of the city. A friend said we could stay in her cabin that she had up here, and then we just.. never left, I suppose." 

A whisper went through the class, but Colin ignored it. He'd met Martin, Mr Sims charming boyfriend who made quite excellent tea. That was old news now. Colin knew what he wanted to ask. 

Eventually, Mr Sims turned towards him and nodded. 

"How did you get your scars?" 

The class froze. Everyone had been waiting for the question to come up since Mr Sims had announced that, as a reward for the class doing so well on the practice exam they had done the week before, he would answer whatever questions they had about him. 

The silence was tangible as Mr Sims stared at him. 

Colin braced himself for dismissal, for the end to the questioning. 

Mr Sims sighed and pushed his scared hand through his hair. 

"Which ones?" 

Colin floundered. "Uhh..." He hadn't thought this far ahead. "The circle ones." 

Mr Sims hesitated. He seemed to be searching for the right words. "Worms." He eventually said, ignoring the way the class gaped at him. "Well, they were officially an unclassified parasite." 

"How? How does a worm do that?"

Mr Sims grimaced. "They burrow." 

Noises of disgust came from several members of the class. 

Someone put their hand up and Mr Sims pointed at them. 

"What about your hand?" 

He looked down at his gnarled, twisted palm. "I, uhh. Hot wax." 

"What about the one on your throat?" Megan asked, not bothering to put her hand up. 

"Oh that," He laughed. "That was a good friend of mine. She threatened me with a knife." 

"So when you said you were stabbed you were telling the truth?" 

He leaned back and crossed his arms. "Yes, but that was a different incident. Well, two different incidents, I suppose."

Colin jolted. "You were stabbed twice?"

Mr Sims nodded. "Once was partially my fault. I took Melanie by surprise, she was acting in self defence." 

The class abandoned all pretence of putting up their hands and just started shouting questions out. 

"When did you get stabbed?" 

"Why did your friend threaten you with a knife?" 

"Are you  okay ?" 

Mr Sims held up his hands to calm them. "Alright, alright. One at a time. I was stabbed the first time a few years ago, but it obviously didn't do any lasting damage. My friend threatened me with a knife because she hated me at the time. Shes since apologised in her own way, and we are actually quite close now. Am I okay?" He shrugged. "Probably." 

"Why were you stabbed a second time?" 

"That was another friend of mine. She was understandably quite upset with me at the time." 

Colin shook his head in disbelief. "Mr Sims, why did all this happen?" 

Mr Sims cocked his head to the side, a thoughtful expression on his face. "You could say that my last job was... unconventional." 

Anna sat up straighter. "What was your last job?" 

Mr Sims shrugged, and said in a matter-of-fact tone, "I worked in the archives of a research institute." 

Colin made a disbelieving noise. "Wh-what?" 

Mr Sims response was cut off as the bell for lunch rang, the shrill noise. 

"Right, that's it. Next lesson we will be going over-"

"Hang on, wait." 

"Sorry Colin, the lesson is over." Mr Sims stared at him. "Don't forget your homework tomorrow. I'll see you all then" With that, Mr Sims slung his bag over his shoulder and marched from the classroom. 

-

Martin laughed, and it set off something soft in Jon's heart. 

"So you just answered the questions?"

"I had already promised them I would. 

Martin handed him the trowel, shaking his head. "There's no way they believe you." 

"I know." Jon said. "Some of them think I'm a spy."

"Are you?" 

"If I were, I'd tell you." 

"Hmm." Martin narrowed his eyes at him. "That would explain a lot." 

It was Jon's turn to laugh. "Would it?" 

"You're mysterious, you lied about your age, you attract trouble. You tick all the boxes"

"You lied about your qualifications. Maybe you're a spy." 

Martin pushed himself up of the grass. "It's the perfect story. Star-crossed lovers. So poetic." 

Jon lent up to put his chin on Martin' shoulder. "I'm sure Shakespeare is quaking in his boots."

Martin leant down and pressed a small kiss to his smile. "You're a nightmare. I can't believe you spent a whole lesson being cryptic." 

"I wasn't being cryptic. And it wasn't the whole lesson, we went over the exam paper at the start." 

"Still, that's evil. Those poor kids." 

"They'll get over it." 

-

"Told you there was something seriously wrong with him." Colin threw a wadded up napkin at Anna. She batted it out of the air and it hit Megan's shoulder. 

"He had to have been lying, right?" Anna said. "There's no way all that happened to him."

Megan shrugged. "If he was lying, why make it so unbelievable? There's too many layers to what he said. It's way to elaborate." 

"Megan, he said he was stabbed. Twice."

"I'll admit that does sound sort of unreasonable." She sat back. "But still, why make it up?" 

Colin threw his hands up. "Because he's a spy, why do we have to keep going over this?" 

Anna laughed. "He's not a spy! The point of being a spy is to throw people off the scent. If he was a spy, telling us all that stuff hasn't made him any less suspicious. 

"That's exactly the idea. Now we think there's no way he's a spy, so now he can slip under the radar. It's genius." 

Anna poked his shoulder. "You're reading way too much into our history teacher's messed up past." 

"Messed up is one way of saying it. I'm telling you, he's definitely wanted for at least one crime." 

"Uhh, you might be right about that." Megan said. She turned her phone towards them. Open on it was an article from an English news website. The headline read 'Man wanted for murder following attack at research institute.'

A picture of Mr Sims stared out from under the headline. 

Colin smacked his head against Anna's shoulder. "We have to stop googling him." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> local teacher cannot stop being cryptic for 5 minutes 
> 
> i have ideas for about 2/3 more chapters of this fic, so quick poll: would you rather have a school trip chapter, or a chapter where everyone's favourite feral bastard children see some spooky happenings? 
> 
> if you guys have any prompts, i'd love to hear them, bc i've really enjoyed writing this and i'd love to keep going


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> suprise! a bonus georgie and melanie have appeared!

"Hey everyone! Welcome back to What The Stream." Georgie Baker's voice came out of the tinny speakers on Anna's laptop. "Melanie will be on in a second, she's just wrangling The Admiral. Tonight we will just be chatting, going over some of the upcoming videos and answering some questions." 

Anna's phone buzzed, the screen illuminating to show a text from Megan about how nice Georgie's hair looked. Anna glanced up at the screen, and shot a quick text back agreeing. 

She dropped down on her bed, pushing her homework to one side. She tucked her feet under her blanket and stared up at the ceiling, letting the sounds of Georgie answering chats questions fill her ears. 

"Hey, Mel. Mind your chair, there you go."

The sounds of someone sitting down in a chair filtered out from the screen, followed by the sounds of Melanie King greeting the viewers. 

A second later, Anna's phone erupted in buzzing. Groaning, she picked up her phone from where she'd dropped it by her head and held it up. 

Seven messages from Megan. Four were just Anna's name in capital letters. One demanding she pay attention to the stream. 

Anna rolled over and looked at her laptop. A beat passed before she understood what Megan was talking about, and her eyes widened. 

-

The sound of Martin's laugh startled Jon. He looked up from his marking. "Everything alright?" 

"Have you talked to Georgie in the last few days?" Martin's voice drifted from the living room. 

Jon tapped his pen on the kitchen table. "Yes, we spoke a few days ago. She asked about work. Why?" 

Martin appeared in the doorway holding his phone, a massive grin on his face. 

"What's happened?" 

Martin turned the phone screen towards him. It was playing Georgie's livestream. Georgie was stroking the Admiral in her lap. Next to her, Melanie was sat, wearing...

"Oh for goodness sake."

Melanie's t-shirt read 'I stabbed Jonathan Sims". 

Jon dropped his head into his hands as Melanie turned to display the words on the back of the t-shirt. 

"And I'd do it again!" 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was a bonus chapter to act as a bit of an apology 
> 
> the poll on the last chapter came back pretty even, and you guys seemed pretty interested in the idea of combining them, and having a school trip turn spooky 
> 
> i really liked that idea, so i've decided to make the next chapter a bit longer than usual, which means it's going to take a bit longer to write, 
> 
> it shouldn't be too long (i predict about a week or two), but i just wanted to apologise ahead of time 
> 
> thank you all so much for all of the amazing feedback and support, it's so nice to see how much you guys have enjoyed my nonsense 
> 
> if this brief hiatus from updates is too much, why not check out my 'martin does jon's hair' series? it's very different from this, but it's been a lot of fun to write, and i'm quite proud of it 
> 
> love you all so much, thanks for everything, see you all (hopefully) pretty soon  
> oak xx


	8. school trip: day one

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is it folks: the school trip 
> 
> ft a cameo from the vending machine that wronged me in the hostel in florence

In Megan's opinion, 4am was a terrible time to be at school. It was dark and cold and Megan wanted nothing more than to be asleep. 

Mr Sims looked like he felt the exact same way. 

He was bundled in an oversized coat zipped up to his chin, hands shoved deep in his pockets. His hair was up in a bun so messy it looked like a birds nest, and his glasses were perched on the end of his nose, dangerously close to falling off every time he looked down. 

"I'm going to sleep on the bus. I don't care if I snore, I am too tired right now." Anna appeared next to her, pulling her suitcase alongside Megan's. "Is Colin here yet?" 

Megan shook her head. "Not yet. He texted asking if we wanted coffee though, so I think he's on his way." 

"I think I'll kill him if he brings decaf."

"I'll help you hide the body. 

Megan rubbed her hands together, trying to get a trace of warmth. "Thoughts on what to do on the free day?"

The trip to London was five days long, with one day free for students to explore on their own. 

"Shopping probably. I don't think I'll want to see any more museums." Anna pulled her coat tighter. 

Megan nodded in agreement. "Same. If Colin doesn't get here soon, I think I might cry." 

"Please don't, I'm bad when people cry." Colin's voice came from behind them. 

Anna turned with a grin. 

"I come bearing gifts of coffee." He held out the tray of drinks. 

"Is it decaf?"

"No."

"Good, you can live." Anna took her cup and cradled it between her palms. "Oh, look out, Sims approaching." 

Megan turned to see Mr Sims walking towards them, holding some slips of yellow paper. 

"Here." He held them out. "This is the contact details for the teachers. Just in case something happens and need to reach us." 

They took the slips, and Megan tucked hers into the back of her phone case.

"Are you excited to be back in London, Mr Sims?" 

He sighed. "To be honest, I don't know. I suppose it will be nice to see the city again."

Colin took a sip of his drink. "Was it really different living in the city?"

"Very different. You get used to how big London is after a while, but it never stops being-" He trailed off and turned towards the end of the road, an expectant smile on his face. Megan turned to look in time to see a car turn the corner. It pulled up next to them and Martin climbed out, 

"What are you doing here?" Mr Sims asked fondly. 

"You forgot your scarf." Martin looped it around Mr Sims' neck, tucking it under his chin. "And I made you some tea." 

He held out a thermos emblazoned with a cartoon cow. Mr Sims took it, 

"Thank you, Martin. Did I wake you?" 

"Not really. It was more you not being there. Hello again." He directed the last part to the teens, who all smiled and greeted him. "Are you excited for the trip?"

Megan nodded. "I can't wait. I've never been to London before." 

Martin's response was cut off by the coach pulling around the corner. Students surged forward, shouting farewells to parents. Megan turned to fetch her bag, hugging her dad as she went. 

"Stay safe, Jon. Please." Martin's voice was quiet behind her, but Megan still heard it under the lull of the conversation. 

"I will, Martin."

"I mean it. If anything happens-"

"I know. Call Daisy, don't try and deal with it alone." 

Martin sighed. "I just worry."

"I know you do." Mr Sims voice was painfully soft. "I'll call you tonight. I love you."

"I love you too, Jon." 

Megan slipped away, hurrying after Anna and Colin, feeling like she had overheard something too personal. When she glanced back, Mr Sims had his arms around Martin's neck, holding him close. He let go, stepping back to hold Martin's face gently before letting go and following the students to the bus.

Anna was asleep almost as soon as they sat down on the coach. She hunched down, curling her legs under her, her blanket wrapped tightly around her shoulders. Colin had to kick her awake when Mr Sims stood up at the front of the bus. 

"Well, good morning everyone. Sorry for the early start, but we have a long drive ahead of us. You've all been given our contact details so if you get separated or something happens you can get in touch with us again. Remember to stay in groups of three at least. London is an extremely busy place, so make sure you stay close. We don't want anyone getting lost." 

He sat, and Megan leaned across the aisle to Colin. "What's the betting something terrible is going to happen?" 

Colin considered it. "65% for, 25% against." 

"That's 90%"

"The rest is for something terrible happening only to Mr Sims." 

"Fair enough. Is Anna asleep yet?"

Colin turned to look at Anna where she was slumped against the window. "Anna, if you're awake, I just wanted to let you know I'm about to steal the rest of your drink." When she didn't respond, Colin reached out and plucked the coffee from her hand. "She had her chance."

The coach rumbled to life. Anna stirred, sitting up blearily. She looked over at Colin, down at the drink in his hand, and took it back off him before turning to the window and waving farewell to her parents. 

Soon, they were trundling out of the school car park and towards London.

-

London was loud. It was cramped and crowded, and the road was full of cars. Colin leaned over Anna to stare out the window, wide eyed. 

Through the gaps in the old buildings he could see the faint silhouettes of landmarks. The city seemed so familiar, a strange mirror of a place he had seen so many times on screen. The winding streets hid secrets around each corner, and the streets hummed with forgotten stories. 

Colin loved it. 

When the teachers herded them out of the bus, muscles groaning from the lack of motion, and into the hostel, he looked around, desperately trying to capture every detail. 

He split off from the girls as they vanished into their room with the promise of meeting him before everyone left for dinner. 

From the window of his room, he could see down to the street, the cars and black taxi cabs rushing by. People hurried along the pavement, carrying out a complicated dance as they avoiding crashing into each other. 

Directly opposite his window, a small clothes shop stood sandwiched between a cafe and a shop selling touristy merchandise plastered with the London's iconography. 

In the window of the clothes shop stood a mannequin, it's blank plastic face turned upwards, facing the hostel. One hand was lifted as if waving, the sleeve of its flowery top billowing around it like a batwing. 

As Colin stared at it, the hairs on the back of his stood, and he had the awful feeling it was staring back. 

-

The corridor was dark, illuminated by the dim glow of the fluorescent lights overheard and the sickly yellow of the street lamps outside. The vending machine made an unhealthy noise as Anna punched in the number for a bottle of water. It whirred painfully before spitting out the bottle. It got caught halfway down. Anna swore under her breath 

"I'm not smoking, I promise." The sounds of an other voice startled her. She leapt back, landing uncomfortably on her ankle. "I'll talk to you tomorrow. I love you too." 

There was a beat where Anna assumed whoever was speaking hung up the phone. The sound of soft footfall drifted around the corner, and Anna had a moment to contemplate her untimely death when Mr Sims rounded the corner. 

He froze when he saw her. He was wearing pyjama trousers and the same  _What the Ghost?_ t-shirt he had been wearing when they saw him at the cottage. 

"Uh, hi Mr Sims." 

"Hello, Anna." He quickly shook off his initial surprise at seeing her. "Couldn't sleep?"

"I slept on the coach for most of the drive here." She supplied in way of an explanation. 

He nodded. "Thats understandable. It was an early start."

She hummed back, turning back towards the vending machine. Weakly, she thumped on the glass, trying to dislodge the water bottle. It didn't budge.

Outside, a siren rang out into the night sky. A series of car horns followed it as it sped through the streets. 

"Is London always this loud?" 

He laughed. "Unfortunately, yes. You learn to tune it out. Here."

He gently kicked the bottom of the vending machine. It shook it enough that the bottle dislodged and clattered down into the tray. 

Triumphantly, Anna crouched and took it out. "Thanks. I didn't know how I was going to get that."

"Broken vending machines are all the same. All it takes is a little persuasion." 

Anna stood, the cold plastic of her prize clutched between her fingers. "Have you had to compete with many broken vending machines?" 

"A few. One in the break room at my old job would always get stuck. Eventually we worked out a system to-" He stopped, staring over her shoulder, expression suddenly serious. "Anna, I think it's best if you go back to bed. It's late and we have a big day tomorrow." 

"What?"

"Go on. Sleep well." He stepped aside to let her pass him, not taking his eyes off the end of the corridor. Glancing over her shoulder, all Anna could see was a yellow door at the end of the corridor. 

Shrugging, she made a mental note to tell Megan when she woke up. 

As she shut the door to the bedroom behind her, she could almost swear she heard Mr Sims talking to someone he called Helen. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> writing this gave me flashbacks to school trips  
> i think i could recite the 'stick together, don't wander off' speech from heart 
> 
> the waking up at 4am for a school trip is based on several true stories 
> 
> fun fact: it's an 11 hour drive from the scottish highlands to london
> 
> up next: helen distortion is beautiful and i care her, plus more descriptions of how much london sucks


	9. school trip: day two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeah i posted this at 23:30, dont @ me
> 
> everyone, please please please go look at @ccomilk's amazing fanart of the kids on tumblr

London's Roman Amphitheatre was discovered under Guildhall Yard in 1988. The original wooden structure was built in 70AD and was expanded in the 2nd century so it was able to houseup to 6,000 people. After the Romans left Britain in the 4th century, the place had been dismantled and repurposed for building materials. The surviving structure stands 20 feet below ground in a climate controlled space. 

Jon Knew all of this before the tour guide said it. 

He also knew the tour guides birthday, her mother's maiden name, what she'd had for lunch, and a whole host of random, inane facts that were useless and tantalising at the same time. 

He was frustrated, to say the least. 

London was too loud. There were too many people, too many things to know and hear and See. Even in the grounding comfort provided by the sweater he had stolen from Martin, Jon still felt himself slipping. He was yearning to Know. 

He'd been lucky in that he was the only male teacher on the trip, and thus did not have to share his room in the hostel with anyone. This gave him the freedom to record statements without having to sneak away under the guise of having a cigarette or needing some air. 

He'd gone through two the night before, needing to eat to stop himself feeling the overwhelming crush of London. 

Afterwards, he'd phoned Martin and listened to his tired mumbles, revelling in the sound of his voice down the tinny phone line. 

Seeing one of Helen's doors in the hostel hadn't improved his mood. He'd shot a quick "Piss of, Helen." at the door before marching away. Her laugh had followed him all the way back to his room, and he'd checked several times that his door was actually his door. 

He'd done another statement before breakfast and drank a cup of tea that was passable, but nowhere near the quality of Martin's. 

The tour guide finished her spiel, and gestured for them to explore the room. The students filtered away, separating off into small groups. Jon watched them dissipate. 

-

"Is he a good teacher?" Anna jumped at the sudden voice at her shoulder. She turned. 

Next to her was a woman with dark, curly hair, and a wide smile. She was dressed somewhat professionally, with a sharp pencil skirt and a stark white blouse. 

"Sorry, what?"

"The Archivist. Jon. I heard he became a teacher, but I didn't quite believe it." 

"Oh, Mr Sims?"

"That's him." The woman's voice was strangely chipper. 

"He is a good teacher, I guess. He sometimes goes off on tangents, but it's all interesting, so that's not too bad." 

The woman laughed. "Oh yes, that sounds like our Jon." 

"How do you know him?" 

"Oh, you know," The woman waved a hand. "Old friends." 

"Right."

Anna turned back to the display. The woman was staring at Mr Sims intently, and Anna didn't think she wanted to be involved in whatever they had going on. 

"Stay safe, kid. London is dangerous." 

Anna looked up at the woman's reflection in the glass of the display. 

She nearly dropped the guidebook in her hands. 

The woman looked taller, her limbs more angular and jagged. Her fingers seemed stretched, like there were too many bones under not enough skin. She turned towards Anna and met her eyes in the reflection. Her grin widened, splitting her face open. 

Anna spun round, but the woman was gone. 

"You okay?" Megan came up next to her. "You look like you've seen a ghost." 

Anna shook herself off, still searching the crowd for the woman. "I'm fine. I'm just tired I think."

"Me too. Come on, I'm going to go find the toilet." 

"Okay." Anna followed after her, an uneasy feeling sitting deep in her stomach. 

Colin met them by the door, backpack over one shoulder, guide book in hand. "There you are. Did you know this place is climate controlled?" 

"I will confiscate that if you don't stop reading random facts." Megan huffed. 

"No you won't. The Romans called London Londinium." 

"That's the most fake sounding name ever." Anna held open the door for them to go through. They headed towards the signposted toilets. 

"Yeah Romans, get better names." Colin laughed. 

They passed through another door. It opened up to a hallway that looked like a service corridor. Anna stopped. 

"Wrong turn? This doesn't seem right." 

Colin leaned over her shoulder. "It definitely said this way. I didn't see any other doors." 

Megan stepped around her. "It's not labelled employee only, so let's just see?" 

Anna shrugged. "Museums sometimes have weird creepy corridors." 

"If we die, I want you both to know that Londinium was established around 47AD."

"One more fact and I will kill you myself." 

"Sorry." 

"You will be." 

They stepped into the hallway. It was strangely blank, with no doors leading away from it. A small sign labelled 'Toilets' with an arrow pointing down the corridor flickered next to them. 

Colin shot them both a look. Anna shrugged again and set off down the corridor. 

Colin and Megan followed her, staying close. The corridor turned sharply, a sudden right angle. 

Anna rounded the corner and nearly crashed into a mannequin dressed as a Roman soldier. She tripped backwards, almost falling bodily into Colin. 

"Watch out!" He caught her, pushing her back upright. 

"Sorry." 

Her apology seemed lost on him. He was staring up at the mannequin, eyes wide. "Woah." 

Megan appeared next to them, out of breath. "I think this is a dead end. Come on, let's head back."

"Wait." Colin waved a hand in front of the mannequins face. 

"What are you doing?" 

"It feels like it's looking at me."

"It's a mannequin, Colin." Anna tugged his sleeve. "Come on." 

"Seriously, you guys can't feel that?" 

"It's paranoia, Colin, let's go." Anna turned to leave. At the same time the door they had come through opened at the end of the corridor. On the other side stood another mannequin, dressed the same as the one Colin was now poking. 

Megan stepped backwards. "Uh, maybe not that way. Is there a door down there?" 

Anna looked over her shoulder at the blank concrete hallway. "Doesn't look like it. Might be though, why have an empty corridor." 

Anna looked back to the door at the end of the hallway. She blinked. The mannequin looked like it was halfway through, as if it had stepped forward while she was looking away. 

"Colin." She took his arm. "Please." 

He finally stepped back and let himself be pulled down the corridor. 

Anna walked quickly, Megan and Colin in tow. Behind them came the sound of footsteps. 

The walls narrowed, drawing in closer on either side. The corridor seemed to stretch, becoming longer than it had been before. 

"Wait." Megan froze. 

Anna stopped, turning to her. 

She cocked her head to one side, listening intently. Anna did the same. The faint sound of footsteps drifted down the hallway. 

"Shit." Colin said. "Staff?" 

"Possibly. Let's just get out of here." 

"Hang on. The solider." Megan pointed. 

Anna followed the angle of her finger and gasped. The mannequin dressed in Roman armour had rotated. It was now facing the opposite direction, towards where they had gone. 

"Okay, no. Definitely not. I have watched enough terrible sci fi to know that we are about to die." 

"Seems like you kids need a door." 

Anna wheeled around at the sound of a voice behind them. 

The woman from the museum was leaning nonchalantly against a yellow wooden door that hadn't been there a second ago. 

"Go on. I'll even let you back out again. As a favour to Jon." 

"Who are you?" Megan's voice was forcefully steady. 

"Helen." She said, amused. 

Anna gripped Colin's sleeve. "She knows Mr Sims. We were talking earlier." 

Megan looked at her, eyes slightly wild. "You're sure?"

"It's that or get eaten by mannequins. Colin, your call." 

Colin looked down the corridor and back at Helen. 

Helen laughed. It was a painful sound. "Don't worry, I'm much nicer than those things." 

"Are you going to eat us too?" 

She leaned her head to one side, considering. "Probably not. I imagine that would mean a lot of paperwork for Jon." 

The footsteps were drawing closer, almost to the end of the hallway. 

"Final chance." 

Colin grabbed the girls hands. "Come on." 

"Well done children. First door on your left. Don't wander off." 

She opened the door and stepped aside. 

They hurried through the open passageway. 

Inside, the corridor was strange. The walls titled at odd angles like a carnival funhouse. Anna slowed, uncertain. 

"Hurry up." Helen ushered them further into the corridor. "No promises what will happen if you linger." She shut the door behind them. 

The sound of their breathing was too loud, even through the static in Anna's ears. The light in the corridor was at once too bright and too dim, and the floor rocked with motionlessness. The wallpaper was too bright, it's faded colours painful to Anna's eyes. As they walked, Anna kept her hand firmly in Colin's grip, feeling the solid realness of him next to her, even as the floor threatened to not exist. 

Megan pulled them to a stop in front of a door. The first door on the left. 

She reached out for the handle and paused. She shot them both a look. Colin's grip tightened in a faux reassuring squeeze, and Megan opened the door. 

They stepped out into the museum proper. 

Their class was huddled in the centre of the room around the tour guide. 

Mr Sims was stood on the outskirts of the group. He turned towards them, an intense look in his eyes. 

Anna glanced over her shoulder. Behind them was the blank wall of the museum. 

-

Jon shut the door to his bedroom and threw his coat on the bed. 

"I thought I told you to piss off." 

Helen tutted. "Now, Jon. That's not nice, is it." 

"Neither is trying to hurt my students." 

"Hurt them? Never. I helped them. They needed a door." 

Jon crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. "You and I both know that it's not as simple as that." 

"I'm just keeping an eye out, Archivist. I would've thought you would've known all about that." She leaned forward. "You weren't exactly watching closely." 

Jon pushed himself off the wall and stalked closer to her. "Leave my class out of all this." 

She laughed. "Archivist, you made them involved when you came back to London. You've caused ripples." She unfurled herself from where she had been sitting on the dresser and stood, looming over him. "People are starting to take notice." 

"So what, my class is going to be tormented by avatars?" 

She laughed again. "I don't know anyone else's plans, but I can say that I have no intention of tormenting anyone. I try to avoid children. They make unpleasant sounds." 

Jon stared her down, seething. 

"Oh don't look like that, Jon. I'm sure you and Martin will have lovely children one day." She brushed past him. "Send him my love, by the way. It's been too long." 

Her door clicked shut behind her, and Jon was alone. 

"Shit." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the avatars: realise jon's in london  
> jon: why do i hear boss music
> 
> this chapter is lovingly dubbed 'i'm studying history and archeology next year so i'm projecting my own desire to go look at some old shit' 
> 
> guildhall roman amphitheatre is a real place and it's super fascinating   
> did the stranger leave fake toilet signs around to mess with jon's class? maybe


	10. school trip: day three (part one)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you get chased by creepy mannequins, don't go back and have another look

"Mr Sims knows something." 

Colin sighed. "Anna, he doesn't." 

"Besides, what is there to know?"

Anna pushed her plate away angrily. "We got chased by mannequins, Megan. Can you please stop doing this?" 

"Anna, being chased by mannequins is insane. All that happened was some underpaid museum staff wanted to pull a prank, and we were easy targets." 

"And Helen?" 

"In on it, probably." 

Anna's next words got cut off by Mr Sims clearing his throat. He was stood at the front of the small breakfast room, hands fidgeting with the hem of his oversized jumper. He looked more tired than ever, the bags under his eyes deeper and more defined. He surveyed the room.

"Right. I- right." He stammered. Anna frowned. Mr Sims had always been a bit awkward, but he'd never shown any signs of discomfort when it came to public speaking. "Right. Today's your free day. Please remember, this is London. It's busy here, and there are- Just stay safe." He seemed to direct the last part to Anna's table. 

Mr Sims stepped aside and let Ms Maxwell take over the explanations for check-in times and when they needed to be back at the hostel. 

He kept glancing over at them. For a moment, Anna thought he looked almost scared. 

-

"This is a terrible idea." 

"You've already said that, Anna." 

"Well I stand by it, Colin. We shouldn't have come back here." 

Megan looped her arm around Anna's, hooking their elbows together. "I promise, nothing bad will happen." 

Megan pulled her into Guildhall Art Gallery for the second time in as many days, and down towards the amphitheater, Colin a step behind them. 

They slipped past a tour group, ducking into the museum and down the corridor towards the back rooms. 

Megan paused in front of the door. Her hand hovered over the handle, and she looked back at the others. 

Colin nodded at her, and she swung the door open. 

Inside, the corridor was the same oppressive concrete, with the flickering fluorescent lights casting strange shadows on the wall. 

Anna quickly pulled the door shut behind them. She didn't want any employees or nosey members of the public following them. 

"No creepy mannequins this time. That's good." Colin's voice sounded loud in the confined space of the corridor. 

Anna paled. "Please don't jinx it." 

He put an encouraging arm around her shoulder. "We'll just check, and then we will go." 

She hummed, doubtful. 

They walked forward, following the 

narrow wall of the corridor as it drove forward, delving deeper underground. 

They reached the point where the tunnel turned and Anna slowed. 

"Guys? I don't feel great." 

Colin squeezed her shoulder. "You can wait here if you want. We won't be long." 

Anna hesitated, before nodding. "I'll wait here. Shout if anything happens." 

"We will." Megan pressed a hand to her arm. 

Together, they set off around the corner, leaving Anna standing in the centre of the corridor. Slowly, she sank to the ground, leaning against the wall.

The minutes dragged on. 

It was strangely quiet in the tunnel. The press of London had faded away, the constant sound of traffic and life stripped back to make room for nothing. 

A quiet tapping sound came from the end of the tunnel. 

Anna sat up. 

"Guys? Is that you?" 

There was no response. The tapping had stopped. She stood, creeping towards the corner.

"Guys? Is that you?" 

Anna's blood froze. Her words were repeated back to her, a mocking impression of her voice. 

"Who's there?" 

"Who's there?" 

A mannequin stepped around the corner. It's glossy plastic face stared down at her.

"Get away from me!" 

"Get away from me!" It's mouth didn't move as it spoke, like the sound was coming from deep inside it.  "You shouldn't have come back." 

Anna pressed back against the wall. Her knees buckled and she sank down.

A red flash flew past, knocking the mannequin down. 

A hand grabbed Anna's and yanked her up, pulling her down the corridor. She scrambled after Megan as she ran, desperately trying to stay upright. They flew down the hallway, through the door, into the main body of the museum. Only then, surrounded by the crowd, did Megan slow, her hand still tightly in Anna's grip. Colin bumped into them, gripping their shoulders to balance them. 

A few members of the public gave them strange looks, clearly not expecting three out of breath teenagers in the middle of the foyer. 

They power-walked through the crowd, trying to ignore the stares, and out of the museum. They didn't stop walking. 

A few streets later, they ducked into an alleyway 

"You saved me." 

Megan shook her head. "It wasn't me, it was Colin. He threw a fire extinguisher." 

"You threw a fire extinguisher?" Anna gripped Colin's shirt. 

He nodded, looking slightly sheepish. "Yeah, I-" 

He was cut off as Anna threw her arms around his neck

Megan shuffled next to them. Anna held out a hand and pulled her into the embrace. 

They huddled together, pressed in close, the silence between them louder than the press of London traffic outside. 

After a long minute, they let go and stepped apart. 

Megan hissed, looking down at her arm. A long scratch ran down the back of it. A thin trickle of blood seeped out of it. 

"Shit." 

"You okay?" 

"Ehh, I'll live. I dropped my phone though. Have you got yours?"

Anna reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. She held it out.

"Good. We should call someone."

Anna looked down at the phone in her hand. Who would believe them? Who wouldn't laugh them away as delusional? Mannequins speaking? Chasing them down hallways? Who could they call? 

She decisively dialled a number. 

It rang for only a moment before the person on the other end picked up. 

"Hello?"

"Mr Sims? It's Anna. Something...." She looked at the others. "Something happened." 

Mr Sims was muffled for a moment. "Daisy, I have to go." He came back clearer. "Where are you?" 

"By the Guildhall." 

"I'm only around the corner. Don't move." 

"Okay." Anna's voice came out unsteady, the edges of her words damp with tears. 

"Are any of you hurt?" 

Anna looked at Megan's arm. "Megan's been scratched." 

"Anna, I'll be there in a minute. Dont-" He cut off, the line suddenly full of static. Anna held the phone away from her ear, grimacing. 

"What does he say?" 

"There's just static." She flipped the phone to speaker mode. 

They both frowned. "That's weird." Megan said, picking at the scratch on her arm. 

"Oh, that is strange." Helen's voice was loud in Anna's ear. She yelped, spinning round. As she moved, her phone slipped out of her grasp and tumbled to the floor. 

Helen leant down and picked it up. She held it up near her face and said into the receiver "Hurry up, Jon." 

She hung up. 

"Helen? What are you doing here?" Megan sounded angry. 

"Enjoying the show, mostly. I told Jon I was keeping an eye out. Who knows what sort of things might be lurking in the shadows." 

"What does that mean?" 

"Helen, get away from them." Mr Sims strode into the alleyway, a thunderous expression on his face. 

"Ouch. You really don't trust me at all, do you?"

"I really don't." He planted himself between her and Anna. "Call it cynicism."

"Oh I think it's much more than just that. Then again, I suppose you already knew that." 

"Don't." He turned to Anna. "Are you alright?" 

She nodded. He scanned her face, eyes intense. Anna felt a pressure against the back of her neck, the feeling of being seen, of being known, like Mr Sims' stare was mapping out everything about her. Eventually, he nodded and looked away and the pressure lifted and Anna was left reeling. He glanced back, an apologetic look on his face, but his eyes didn't linger. 

He moved to Megan and checked the scratch on her arm. 

"Mr Sims, what's going on?" Colin sounded shockingly small, and Anna realised this was the first full thing he had said since leaving the museum. When she looked over at him, she saw the glisten of tears against his cheeks. 

Mr Sims seemed to see it too, because he instantly softened, anger dissipating away. He crouched down in front of Colin. 

"You're alright. Here." He reached a hand into his pocket and pulled out a packet of tissues and handed it to Colin. Colin's fingers trembled as he took one out. 

"Clear down that way, Sims." A stocky, aggressive woman marched into the alleyway, tucking something into the waistband at the back of her trousers. She fixed the teens with hard stares, 

"This is Daisy." Mr Sims gestured to her. "She's an old friend." 

She grunted. 

"This is very fun. It's like a reunion." 

"Leave." Mr Sims was stern as he stared up at Helen from where he stayed crouched by Colin. 

She stared back, blinking slowly, before eventually sighing. "Fine. Be like that. This is why I like Martin more." 

A door appeared in the wall behind her. She grasped the handle and turned back to them. "If you need me, you know where to find me, Archivist."  
With that, she was gone, the door vanishing back into the blank wall. 

Mr Sims didn't even tell Megan off for swearing as she viciously said "What the fuck?" 

He hummed. 

"Come on. I think I owe you all some answers." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tomorrow is a level results day in the uk, so i am not doing great rn, but i still wanted to post this before my life potentially goes to shit  
> i've been thinking about maybe making a tma themed insta, where i post writing updates, doodles, things i find funny, stuff like that: is that something y'all would be interested in?
> 
> also: i'm working on a time travel au that's gonna start going up once this fic is more or less finished


	11. school trip: day three (part two)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> go follow my new insta @statement_boo_gins for all of my stupid tma thoughts and writing updates!

Mr Sims led them down the busy streets, turning into side roads and alleyways as shortcuts. He kept throwing glances over his shoulder, checking for something following them, examining the crowds around them carefully. The woman, Daisy, followed after him. 

Eventually, Mr Sims slowed. They were in front of a small cafe, tucked down a side road, mostly free of pedestrians. The sign above the door was faded, the paint chipped away, leaving the name impossible to read. As Mr Sims pushed the door open a bell rang above the door, signalling their entry. 

Inside, the cafe was quiet. Only a few people sat at the tables, most wearing headphones with their gazed fixed on laptops or books in front of them.Mr Sims made a beeline for a table near the back, ignoring the other customers. The old yellow linoleum squeaked beneath their feet as they trailed after him. Daisy went around the side of the table and dragged a chair closer, dropping down into it. She stared at the door, a hard expression on her face. 

Mr Sims sat and raked a hand through his hair. "Have you eaten?" 

Megan blinked at him. "What?"

"It's lunchtime. You should eat. I'll pay." 

"Wh- okay." Megan sat on one of the plastic chairs, carefully balancing on the edge. 

The others sat and took the laminated menus that Mr Sims passed them. He held one out to Daisy, but she waved it away. 

"You know what I like, Sims." 

He nodded and put it back in the small metal holder. 

"Mr Sims, what's going on?" Anna stared across the table at him. "Why have you bought us here?" 

He sighed. "I promised you answers. I do intend to give them, but I think you should eat first. What I have to say is... a lot." 

A waitress wondered over and took their orders. Megan ordered in a bit of a trance, feeling like she was having a very bizarre dream. One glance at Anna and Colin told her they were feeling the same way. 

Megan hoped she would wake up soon. 

Mr Sims gave them all a careful look. "So, I expect you've all figured out by now that what happened in the museum was not..." He paused. "normal." 

"Which bit? The creepy hallways, being chased by mannequins, whatever the hell Helen had going on?" Megan's voice cracked with incredulity. 

He winced. "Yes, well. I'm afraid that all of that may be, at least in part, my fault." He waited for them to challenge him, but they stayed silent. He took a deep breath. "I believe they were after me and thought they could reach me through you. The Stranger has never much cared for... collateral." 

"The Stranger?" Colin piped up. "Whose that?" 

"Not a who, a what. It's a, uh," Mr Sims look at Daisy but she just shrugged at him. "It's a... being." He said, carefully. "One with immense power that feeds on the fear of the unknown. It often manifests as mannequins or other similar things. Why it fixated on you three, I don't know." 

Megan stared at him. Mr Sims had never been the funniest teacher, and the jokes he did attempt usually fell a little flat. The likelihood that this was one of those jokes was slim. Mr Sims looked deadly serious. 

"Are there other... beings?" Colin asked, slowly. 

"Yes. I don't want to tell you too much," Daisy scoffed. Mr Sims glanced at her for a second before continuing, "I don't want to make you too involved in all of this. It's not fair to you." 

Megan sat up straighter in her chair. "What if we want to be involved? If there's crazy stuff happening, isn't it safer if we know about it?" 

Their waitress had appeared next to them carrying a tray of food. She gave them an odd look as she passed the plates out to them. 

Mr Sims didn't respond until she left. "None of this is safe. Most people live in blissful ignorance, and that's good. It's better than actually knowing what's out there." 

Colin scoffed. "No offence, Mr Sims, but you're wrong. We didn't know about any of this and we still got attacked by murderous mannequins."

"And if we had known, we would have told you yesterday rather than go back today." Anna leant forward. "Ignorance didn't protect us." 

Daisy barked out a laugh. "I like these kids." 

Mr Sims glared at her. "Could you please not encourage this." 

She sat forward. "They have a point, Jon. You really think that now they know that things are out there they're going to stop until they have those answers?" 

They stared at each other, seemingly having a furious argument with their eyes. A long moment passed before Mr Sims sighed and threw up his hands. 

"Fine. What do you want to know?" 

Megan glanced at the others. Anna's eyes were wide and she gestured for Megan to go ahead. Colin nodded. 

"How many other beings are there?" She asked, swivelling back towards Mr Sims. 

"We generally call them entities, not beings. There are fourteen overall. Well, fifteen technically."

"And they all feed on fear?" 

"Yes. Different fears for each one. There is quite a bit of overlap between some of them, but cover most of humanities most common fears." 

"Like the unknown?" Anna asked. 

He nodded. "Exactly. The Stranger is the fear of the unknown, the uncanny, the feeling that something is wrong." 

"And those mannequins were part of that?" Colin cocked his head to the side. 

"Yes. They serve it, in a way." 

"There's things that serve the entities?"

Mr Sims looked down at the table. "We call them avatars." 

"Is Helen one?" The image of the tall, strange woman hadn't left Megan's mind. 

Mr Sims grimaced. "She is. She's part of the Spiral. You're lucky, she usually doesn't try to make herself look human." 

"That's the fucking creepiest thing anyone has ever said. What does she normally look like?" Colin had started smiling,

small but still present. 

"Imagine Picasso if he was slightly more unhinged." 

"Yikes." 

"Exactly." Mr Sims leant back. "She's the embodiment of the fear of madness. Her hallways are, as I'm sure you noticed, somewhat contradictory." 

Megan shuddered at the memory. She frowned. "So she can create them?" 

He nodded. 

"How do you know her?" 

He glanced across at Daisy again, but she was stealing chips from his plate and didn't offer any input. He sighed. "The place I used to work, The Magnus Institute, was something of a museum to the entities. People would come to us and tell us their stories. Give us statements. You meet some... interesting people in that line of work." 

"Did it serve one of them?" Anna took a sip of her drink. "The Institute, I mean." 

"Yes. The Eye. The fear of knowledge. Specifically of being known, of being watched."

Megan turned to her food, mulling over everything Mr Sims had told them.A few days ago, the existence of 'entities' would have been ridiculous, but in the span of a couple of days, she had been chased by mannequins and gone into some creepy hallways apparently owned by the walking embodiment of the fear of madness. And now, her short, awkward history teacher was explaining his past working for an organisation that catalogued fear. 

"Wait. You said you worked for the Institute, and the Institute worked for the... what did you call it, the Eye? Wouldn't that mean you technically worked for the Eye too?"

Mr Sims didn't meet her stare. Even Daisy stilled, hand hovering over his plate. He sat forward, crossing his arms. 

"I do." He said, slowly. "It's- well, it's complicated."

"How?" 

"That's something of a long story." 

"Are you an avatar?" 

He finally looked up, fixing Megan with a hard stare, his expression grave. After a long minute, he said "I am. I am not like Helen, or the mannequins, but I am still an avatar." 

"Do you have powers too? Like Helen's hallways?" 

He took a deep breath. "Yes. Please don't ask me to demonstrate, it's not pleasant."

Colin sat up, suddenly excited. "You have superpowers?" 

Mr Sims' brow furrowed deeply as he frowned. "They aren't superpowers."

"What can you do?" 

"I can... compel people to answer my questions. And I can know things." 

"Cool." Colin grinned. 

Anna leant forward. "What do you mean, know things?" 

"Well, I can just.... know things." He spread his hands. "It's difficult to explain." 

Megan blinked at him. "Are you saying you are basically psychic google?" 

Daisy laughed. "That's exactly what he is. Creepy bastard can know anything, and he uses it for trivia." 

Trivia. Megan jumped slightly. "Wait, you were at the fundraiser. Did you literally use all knowing magic powers to cheat at trivia night?" 

He ducked his head, slightly sheepish. "To be fair, that was Martin's idea. I tried not to." 

Colin dropped a hand to the table. "Hang on, do you know when we are lying about homework?" 

"Yes, Colin. I do." 

"Why do you let us get away with it?" 

Mr Sims shrugged. "Most of the time, it's harmless. You made an honest mistake or you do intend to do it. I might be your teacher, but I still understand how it feels to be put on the spot." 

A grin spread across Megan's face. "You didn't look on the system." 

The others turned towards her. Mr Sims smiled, a warm, genuine grin with a hint of mischief. 

"What?" Colin asked, confused. 

"First day of class. He knew all of our names. But you didn't look on the system. You just knew." 

"Perhaps." He sounded thoroughly pleased with himself, like his private joke had finally paid off.

"You're such a smug bastard."Daisy muttered. "You can't help yourself, can you?"

"I try not to know anything personal about my students, but that did make learning your names quite a bit easier."

"That's cheating." Anna didn't sound annoyed by it, and if her smile was anything to go by, she agreed with Megan's assessment that it was actually pretty funny. 

Mr Sims shrugged. "Maybe it is. I merely used the tools at my disposal." 

Colin laughed at that. 

"Mr Sims, you've always been weird, but this is insane." 

He nodded. "It is indeed." 

"So what's the plan?" 

"Finish your lunch. It's almost time to meet back with the rest of the group." 

Megan shoved a chip into her mouth. "What about the mannequins?"

"Leave that to us." Daisy sat up. She had an intense light in her eyes, and her hands clenched into fists on the table. 

Megan finished eating in a bit of a trance, thinking that, perhaps, this was the strangest moment of her life. 

-

"Ready to go?" Daisy leaned against the wall next to the hostel door. She had her coat zipped up against the late London night, hands shoved deep in her pockets. Jon wondered how many weapons she had hidden away on her. 

Exactly seven, apparently. 

"I am. Come on, let's go

"Wait!"

Jon turned as Daisy laughed. Colin barrelled out of the hostel door, the girls close behind him. 

"You owe me a fiver, Sims." 

"We never shook on it, Daisy." He turned to the teens. "You shouldn't be here. Go back to bed." 

"No." Anna was uncharacteristically stubborn as she planted herself in front of him. "We are coming with you." 

"Absolutely not." 

"Tough." Megan crossed her arms over her chest. "Either we come with you, or we go on our own." 

"It's not safe." 

"You can use your Eyeball Senses to predict when danger is coming, right?" She cut of his quiet protest of 'Thats not how it works,' by continuing on, "And besides, if the Stranger does decide to attack us again, isn't it safer to be with you than here at the hostel?" 

Jon stared down at her. She had a point. He wouldn't be any help if something happened while he was out, the students would be defenceless. 

One the other hand, the possibility of an attack was only hypothetical, while they would certainly be in danger by accompanying him. 

He looked at them, properly looked. They looked too familiar, like mirages of people he had known a long time ago. If he unfocused his eyes, he could almost see Sasha in the defiant tilt to Megan's head, or Tim's smile on Colin's face, or Martin's caring trust in the way Anna looked at her friends. The way they bounced off each other, sharing thoughts, feelings, ideas, it felt too much like the people he had let down by not trusting them. Of all the students he taught, these three had managed to uncover so many of his carefully constructed mysteries. In a different life, they would've made good archival assistants. 

He sighed.

"Fine. But stay close to me or Daisy. Don't get left behind." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm officially going to uni!! results day ~sucked~, but my uni offered me a place studying archeology anyway bc they loved me so much, so that's fun 
> 
> i'm gonna start posting my time travel au i'm the next few days, i cannot wait, i've been working super hard on it and i think it's really good
> 
> up next time: much daisy content


	12. school trip: day three (part three)

Even this late at night, the streets of London were still busy. The flow of pedestrians didn't seem to let up as Jon led his little party deeper into the city. Behind him, he could hear the curious questions the teens were directing at Daisy. 

"So how did you meet Mr Sims?" Anna asked. 

"I was a detective. He was a suspect in a murder case." 

"Oh, I think I read about that!" Colin said.

"I've been meaning to talk to you all about your penchant for googling me." Jon sighed. "I was innocent, by the way." 

"That's so insane." Colin shook his head, grinning. 

"Wait, Mr Sims, I've been meaning to ask." Anna glanced over at him. "Did Melanie King actually stab you?" 

Jon sighed again. He was getting too old for this "I forgot about Georgie's little joke. Yes, Melanie did stab me."

Daisy chuckled. "Georgie offered to get me one of those shirts." 

"You didn't stab me though." 

"Yeah, but 'I held a knife to Jonathan Sims' throat' is a bit long for a t-shirt." 

"That was you?" Megan gaped up at her.

Daisy gave her a toothy grin. "It was. Good memories, huh Jon?" 

Jon shook his head, smiling. "I don't know that I'd describe it as 'good', but it is certainly memories." 

"What changed?" Anna mused. "Between you pulling a knife on him and you helping him take down some manifestations of horror, something must have changed." 

"He saved my life." 

Anna blinked. "Wait, really?" 

"I returned the favour." Daisy's phone pinged. She glanced down at it. "Basira says hi. And also that you're an idiot." 

"Oh, I forgot to ask, how is she?" 

"Annoyed that you're interrupting date night."

Jon raised his eyebrows. "You two finally figured that out, then?" 

"Shut up, Sims." 

They fell into an easy silence for another few streets, until Jon stopped in front of a large brick building. It was an old warehouse, built to house goods coming in from the nearby river. Eventually, trade had moved on from this part of the city, and it had fallen into disrepair, not yet saved by the housing developments turning old warehouses like it into high end flats. 

"We're here."

"Here? Not the museum?" 

"This is it's hiding space. It would be too obvious at the museum. It's easier to come and go this way."

They stared up at the unyielding facade. 

"Let's get this over with." 

-

Mr Sims led them around the side of the warehouse, to a set of old metal stairs. They led to the second floor of the warehouse. A heavy door was set into the wall, and Mr Sims pulled it open. It let out a quiet creak. 

Inside, the doorway opened onto a metal walkway. They crept forward, the old metal beneath their feet threatening to give away their movements. 

Eventually they paused, peering over the edge of the railing.

In the main room was mostly empty, save for a few scatterings of wooden boxes and single mannequin stood in the centre. 

Colin frowned. "Where are the others?" 

"That's the only one." Mr Sims said, surprised. Colin glanced over at him. He had a strange look on his face, like he was listening to someone speak. "That's the last survivor of the Circus of the Other. All the others were destroyed in the explosion." 

Anna started. "Wait, explosion? The one at the wax museum?" 

Daisy turned towards her, glowering. "How do you know about that?" 

Mr Sims put a hand on her arm. "It's fine, Daisy. Like I said, they have a talent for finding me on the internet." He turned towards Anna. "Yes, the explosion at the wax museum was our attempt of stopping the Unknowing. It worked, in a way, but there was a cost." 

"Your friend died." Megan's voice was quiet in the darkness. 

Mr Sims nodded, a tired, mournful look on his face. "Tim. I... I let him down. I don't intend for that to happen again." He turned back towards the room, hands gripping the railing. 

"Daisy, did you bring it?" 

Daisy reached into her bag and pulled out a book. It was old, bound with dark brown leather. She handed it to Mr Sims. 

"What's that?" Megan asked. 

"The Seven Lamps of Architecture. Basira got it for me from the Archives." 

"How is that going to help?" 

He grinned at her, all teeth."You'll see." 

They crept down the stairs. 

At the bottom, they spread out, the dusty floor cushioning their footsteps. 

Colin leant and picked up a spanner strewn on the floor. It was weighty, and offered a comfortable distraction from his pounding heart. 

The mannequin turned its plastic head towards them. 

"Hello, Archivist." It's plastic mouth didn't move. 

Mr Sims glowered. "Why are you doing this?" 

The buzz of static was loud, pressing down on Colin's ears. 

"The Circus was all I had. It was all any of us had. You took it from me." 

It lunged. 

Colin threw the spanner. The projectile caught the mannequin on the cheek. It stumbled, staggering forward. Daisy grabbed its arm, twisting it back. 

The creature cried out, trashing against Daisy.She held tight, forcing it forward towards a gap in the brick walls. Mr Sims hung back, opening the book and starting to read. Anna gaped at him. "Mr Sims, how is that helpful?" 

"Shh!" He waved a hand at her. 

The mannequin worked it's arm loose from Daisy's grip and started flailing at her. Megan lunged, grabbing the arm and forcing it away from Daisy's hair. The arm bent and snapped off at the shoulder. It went stiff in her grip, returning to its original lifeless plastic. 

The mannequin kicked out it legs. Anna grabbed one and yanked. It separated from its body.Daisy shoved it forwards into the thin gap between the walls. It fell to the ground. She tossed a small, thin parcel, wrapped in cloth down next to it.

It scrambled up as well as it could with only one leg, the squeak of plastic piercing Colin's ears. 

"Now, Sims." 

He squinted at the page, eyes flying over the words. 

"Sims." 

It lunged. 

The wall moved, sliding into place, trapping the creature inside. 

Mr Sims sank to his knees, letting out a shaky breath. The book slipped from his hands. 

A long, heavy silence settled over them. 

"What did you throw at it?" Megan stared at Daisy, wide eyed. 

"A mirror. It's cursed so that when you look at it you see everything about yourself. Good, bad, the bits you didn't even realise." 

A scream came from the other side of the wall, muffled through the brick. Daisy grinned. It lacked amusement. "Not good for a follower of the Stranger." 

Colin looked at Anna. She was pale, her hands trembling as they clutched the leg, but she smiled tensely at him. 

Daisy crossed over to where Mr Sims was crouched. "Sims." 

He looked up at her. "I always forget how bad the Buried is." 

She stared down at him, an unreadable expression on her face. A long minute passed before she held out a hand. He took it and let himself be pulled to his feet. He turned to the teens. "Are you alright?" 

They nodded. 

"What do we do about that?" 

"Leave it." 

"What? What if someone finds it?" 

Mr Sims shook his head. "This building is owned by the Lukas family. They were feeding off its anguish at being the last of the Circus. No one will come here." 

Colin didn't let himself wonder who- or what- the Lukas family was. 

"And what about us? What do we do now?" 

Mr Sims turned his tired stare towards him. "Now, we go back to the hostel and sleep, and hope this was enough." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i have 1 (maybe 2) more chapters for this, and then it will be going on hiatus for a while, unless you guys have any prompts/requests for stuff you want to see in this fic, bc i want to focus a bit more on my time travel au 
> 
> the first chapter of my time travel au is now live!! it's gonna be updating every few days! 
> 
> also, slightly bizarre bonus news: i won a contest to stay overnight at a castle, so i think i might be dead bc this is literally heaven for me


	13. school trip: day 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i skipped day 4 of the trip bc i tried writing it and it was super boring, so just know they went to the british museum and it was fun

"What about when you're washing dishes and you put your hand in something gross?"

Mr Sims chuckled. "Uh, that's probably the Corruption." 

Colin grinned. "Corruption?" 

"Fear of filth, disease, things like that." 

Colin shuddered. "Sounds about right." 

"What about when you're at a family event and a relative you don't recognise tells you how much you've grown?" Anna leant across the aisle of the coach. 

"Stranger, maybe?" 

Megan nodded, thoughtfully. Someone at the back of the bus shouted something, and Mr Sims turned to look. He blinked at them, before shrugging and turning back. 

"Was that the thing? The knowing?" Megan said excitedly. 

He glanced over at her. "Yes. I try to not know things about my students, but it does come in handy occasionally." 

"That's so cool." Megan shook her head, impressed.

Mr Sims shrugged, a sheepish smile on his face. "I guess." 

"What about when you're in a place you don't know and your phone died before you can phone anyone?" 

"Hmm." He considered it. "I suppose that could be the Lonely. One of my least favourites." 

"You can have a favourite fear?" 

"Well, as an Avatar of the Eye, I do lean more towards that, but it was hardly a choice. The Lonely is particularly bad." 

"What's it like?" 

He shook his head. "Unpleasant. Severely so." 

Megan fell silent, thoughtful. Mr Sims had agreed to answer their questions easily enough, but he had been careful to steer them away from anything properly... spooky. The quizzing had passed the time on the long coach ride back to Scotland fairly well, and the countryside was rolling by the windows steadily. 

Anna tapped her foot against the floor. "What about kids tv show mascots?" They all looked at her. "Those things are terrifying." 

"Spiral." Mr Sims nodded. "They're inexplicable." 

Colin laughed. "Okay, but what about when you're climbing stairs and there's less steps than you think, so you stumble?" 

"The Vast. Heights, falling, open spaces, that sort of thing." 

"It blows my mind how easily you answered that." 

Mr Sims shrugged. "I've had a lot of time to think about this sort of thing." 

"Spiders has to be one, right?" Megan hummed.

"The Web." He sighed. "Another bad one. It also covers manipulation." 

"That... works, I guess? Huh, weird. I never thought about it like that." 

Mr Sims shrugged again. "You get used to seeing things from a different angle." 

Anna looked at him. "Can I ask you a question?" 

"Of course."

"How does the knowing work? Does it just come to you, or do you have to think about it?" 

He sighed. "There's no easy answer to that. Sometimes I just know, sometimes I have to go in search of the answers. Drawing the line is often the hard part. The Beholding always wants more, even when I don't want to know it." 

"Does it hurt?" 

He considered the question carefully. "Not in the conventional sense, but it does hurt. More my own guilt than anything else, to be honest." 

Colin sat forward. "But what about the future? Can you see what's going to happen?" 

Mr Sims shook his head. "The Eye can't see the future. I can make guesses based on evidence, but no one can know what's going to happen before it does unless someone's decided on doing it. For example, Ms Maxwell is about to stand up and tell us all that we are almost to the service station."

As if on cue, Ms Maxwell stood, and got the classes attention. "Hey everyone! We are about to stop at the service station. We'll be getting out to have lunch, stretch our legs, and get ready for the next leg of the trip. Make sure you eat and go to the toilet because we will not be stopping until we get back to the school." With that she sat back down. 

Mr Sim held out a hand in a 'see' gesture. Megan grinned. "Awesome." 

-

Martin was waiting by the car when Jon climbed off the bus. He smiled and held out a thermos that Jon Knew was full of the most perfect tea. 

"You're the best. I love you." He took it, taking a deep, grateful sip. 

Martin chuckled. "I thought I told you to stay safe." 

"I called Daisy."

"Hmm. Still." 

He placed a gentle hand on his cheek. "I know. I'm sorry, Martin." 

He smiled down at him. "You'll make it up to me."

"I'll try my best." 

Jon turned back towards the coach in time for Anna to step off the bus, Megan and Colin close behind her. 

They glanced over at him, and he gestured for them to come over. They did, picking their way through the swarm of students. 

"Hey." Martin waved a greeting at them. "Jon told me what happened. Are you all okay?" 

They nodded. 

"I know how crazy it all is. It's a lot to take in, very quickly." He looked at them, seriously. "If you need to talk about it at all, you know where we are. We are more than happy to answer any questions." 

"Thanks." Anna said. 

Martin smiled at her, a genuine, open smile that lit up his whole face. Jon loved that smile.

"Here. We got something for you all." He turned and reached through the open window of the car and pulled out three colourful boxes. He handed them to the teens, who stared down at them. 

"Cameras?" Megan asked, confused. 

"Polaroid cameras." Jon explained. "The Stranger, it can take people and replace them. Everything about them changes, except analog records. Hence, polaroids." 

Colin stared at him. "These must have been expensive." 

Martin waved it away. "I got them with the money we stole from Peter Lukas when we fled the Institute. They were basically free. Besides," He grinned. "He would've hated his money going towards something like this. Call it one final victory." 

"Lukas?" Colin said. "Like the family that owned the warehouse?" 

Jon nodded, grimacing. "Peter Lukas was our boss for a while." 

"What happened to him?" 

Jon gave a vicious grin. "He got cocky." 

They stared at him, wide eyed. Megan seemed to figure it out first. "No. Really?" 

Jon nodded again. 

"Wicked. Did he at least deserve it?" 

"Very much so." 

"Peter was a singularly vile man. He was an avatar of the Lonely." 

Colin blinked. "You said the Lonely was your least favourite. Is that why?" 

Jon ignored the look Martin gave him. "It is part of it, yes." 

Colin nodded in understanding, but didn't pry any more. 

The sound of Anna's mum calling them over carried over the gradually fading hubbub of students. They all turned to see her standing on the pavement opposite them, waving. 

"That's our cue. It was nice to see you again, Martin." Anna picked up her suitcase 

"And you. And remember, if you need anything, anything at all, Jon and I are more than willing to help. Doesn't have to be related to the Entities. Sometimes it just helps to have someone there." 

Megan smiled, a little sadly. "Thank you."

"We mean it." Jon said, earnestly. "Talking helps." 

They all nodded, lifting their suitcases. Jon watched them head over to the car and load the boot. They turned back and waved before piling into the car. 

Jon leant against Martin's shoulder as the car pulled away. Martin wrapped his arm around his shoulders and pulled him into a tight embrace, his warmth seeping into Jon's bones, relaxing him from the inside out. 

The Entities were still out there, their followers still active, still after the Archivist, but here, in this sleepy village in the middle-of-nowhere, Scotland, they were safe and happy, and he could protect the people around him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my cousin unknowingly got me with a hello jon earlier, they don't even listen to tma they just showed me a tik tok they thought i would like


	14. prompts page

Hey everyone! Oak here! 

I just wanted to say thank you so much for all the support you've given throughout this fic, it's been honestly so wonderful to read all of your comments 

Chapter 13 was the final chapter that I had planned, but I really want to keep writing this fic bc I love the characters and this au so much.

I still have plenty of head cannons about these characters, especially the kids, that I didn't get to work into previous chapters, either bc there wasn't a logical place to put them, or because they would've distracted from the main story 

Because of this, I'm going to use this chapter as a bit of a prompts page 

In the comments, write any prompts/requests for anything you want to see in this au 

Some general guidelines: 

  * The prompt can be as small or as big as you like, so if you want to see the kids getting lunch with nothing spooky happening, that's just as relevant as if you want to see the kids fighting monsters and being badass
  * It doesn't have to feature all of the characters, so if you want a chapter about just Jon or just the kids, or even a specific character, then thats great!
  * There's no time limit! I'll keep writing this fic until people tell me to stop or I get bored, so even if you found this months after it was posted, I'll probably still want to write your prompt
  * I'm not going to kill any characters off, simply for future writing/my own sanity 
  * I'm ace, and many of my characters are underage, so nothing nsfw
  * Dont worry if you've never left a comment before!! If this is your first time commenting, you're just as welcome as the folks who comment on every chapter 



I can be reached more directly on my insta @statement_boo_gins, or at my tumblrs @oakleaf--bearer or @illbefunnylater, so if you want to chat, please just drop me a dm on any of them, I promise I don't bite! 

Also! 

There's fan art of the kids! @ccomilk drew an incredible piece of them all, it can be seen on their insta or on tumblr, and it's the pinned post on @oakleaf--bearer on tumblr 

If you want to draw the kids, I would absolutely love to see it 

Thank you so much to everyone who has ever left kudos, a comment, or even just come back to read a new chapter, I've loved writing for you all and I would love to keep doing so 

Thank you all so much! 

Oak xx


	15. a leitner ft. arson!martin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> thank you to Aquisedragon who requested the kids find a leitner and to TiredPanAndNotAFan for requesting arson!martin

"Mr Sims!" 

Jon stopped on his path down the corridor as Colin jogged up behind him. "Colin. What can I help you with?" 

He slowed, coming level with Mr Sims. "What do you know about spooky books?" 

Jon froze. "Is this question hypothetical, or-?" 

"I was helping Anna clear her gran's loft." Colin pulled his phone out of his pocket. "There's stuff that's been in there for, like, a hundred years. Family heirlooms and stuff. We found this book." He held out his phone. On the screen was a picture of a damp copy of  _ Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea _ by Jules Verne. "It was wet and we thought something had spilt on it, but then we realised the water was coming from inside it. Soaking out from the pages. And, well, you told us to come to you if something happened, and this felt like a something." 

Jon nodded, trying to ignore the part of his brain that was screaming at him to go, to run, to find this book and burn the whole village down. "You made the right call. Did either of you read it?" 

Colin shook his head. "The pages are too wet. They just tear." 

"What have you done with it?"

"We put it in a box. Plastic. The water shouldn't leak out that way." 

Jon was impressed. "Good idea. What are you doing after school?" 

Colin looked at his watch. "I have a shift at the cafe until 5 and then I was just going to hang out with Anna and Megan. Why?" 

"How would you all feel about a spot of book burning?" 

Colin blinked, once, twice, then his eyes widened with gleeful surprise. "Seriously?" 

Jon nodded again. "Come to the cottage after your shift. Bring the book."

"Mr Sims, you are so fucking cool." 

"Language. And put your phone away at school."

-

Mr Sims opened the door to the cottage just as they rounded the corner. Anna grinned. "Did you See us coming?" 

"Yes." He said. "Sorry about that." 

Megan waved it away. "It's still cool enough that it's not creepy yet." 

"Give it time." He held the door open for them to enter the cottage. "Martin's already in the garden." 

They tracked through the small house, into the kitchen and out the back door. The garden was fairly small, a grassy lawn with a small planter along one side of the house. A fire pit stood in the centre, a small pile of logs next to it. Martin waved as they came out of the cottage. 

"Hey. So, spooky books, huh?" 

Mr Sims scoffed quietly behind them. Anna heard him mutter "I still hate that word." He stepped around them and crossed over to where Martin was stood by the fire pit. 

"Well, have you got it?" 

Anna pulled her bag off her shoulders and reached into it, pulling out the small parcel. She peeled off the plastic bag they had used to catch any leaks and handed the box to Mr Sims. He held it up, inspecting the inch or so of water that had seeped out of the pages. 

Martin leant over his shoulder to study it. "How did it end up with your gran?" 

"It belonged to her uncle." Anna explained. "He was in the navy in the war. He bought this when he was on shore leave once. His ship went down shortly afterward. Apparently, this was recovered from the wreckage and ended up in a private collection for a while before it made its way back to my gran. She doesn't want it anymore, so she told me to throw it away." 

"Private collection?" Martin looked down at Mr Sims. 

"Yes, unfortunately this is a Leitner." 

"What's a Leitner?" 

Mr Sims opened the box and carefully fished the book out. "Not a what, a who. Jurgen Leitner. He was a book collector. Had something of a library of them." 

"Were they all this... leaky?" Colin asked. 

Martin laughed. "Not all of them. Some were just a bit weird, some were downright horrific." 

"This one toes the line. If you read it, the experience would be severely unpleasant. But, given the condition of the pages, it's almost impossible to read." 

Anna watched as Mr Sims placed it in the centre of the pile of logs. "Is it going to burn? It's soaking wet."

"Things are rarely logical when it comes to Leitners." 

"That's not an answer, love." 

Mr Sims looked up at Martin. "Sorry, I suppose it wasn't. It should burn, but we did bring a bit of incentive, just in case."

Martin vanished back inside the cottage, The sound of cupboards opening was clear to hear from inside. 

Colin moved to help Mr Sims load more of the logs onto the fire. "Is this connected to the Fears?" 

Mr Sims nodded. "The Vast. Drowning at sea comes under the fear of the deep." 

Martin reappeared holding a can of lighter fluid and a box of matches. "I put the kettle on if anyone wants a cup of tea." 

Anna gaped at him as he unscrewed the top of the can and tipped out some of the liquid, splashing it onto the offending book. 

"Are you being serious?" 

Mr Sims smiled at her. "Martin has a bit of an arsonist streak." 

"I do not." Martin said, indignant. He screwed the cap back onto the lighter fluid and placed it on the ground. "I burned things one time. And it was to help you!" 

"You enjoyed it far too much." 

"As part of the plan." 

"There were other ways of dealing with Elias." 

"Were there?" 

They seemed to have a bit of a standoff for a moment, before Mr Sims smiled. "You're right, it was a good plan. I'm sorry." 

"Thank you. Now, who wants to do the honours?" He held up the box of matches. 

Anna brightened. "Can I? It feels like a bit of a family heirloom." 

Martin handed her the matches. She struck one and dropped it on the pile of logs. It flickered for a moment before the fluid caught, spreading flames over the logs surrounding the still leaking book. Some of the fluid on the book caught. The damp pages hissed as the water in the evaporated.

"Thanks for this." Anna said. "I wouldn't have known what to do with it otherwise." 

"It's no trouble, really." Mr Sims smiled at her. "To be honest, I'm quite impressed. You handled all of this far better than I would have expected." 

"What would have happened if we had read it?" Colin asked. 

" _20,000 Leagues Under The Sea_. It takes on quite a literal meaning." 

"We would've drowned?" 

"All while fully on land. Like I said, severely unpleasant."

Megan shuddered. "Who would want to collect a book like that?" 

Mr Sims frowned at the fire. "A man that can't see past his own hubris. Leitner was an idiot. No one can control these books. He knew the risks and he tried it anyway. And he never saw the wrong in what he had done." 

Anna stared at the fire. The book was properly burning now, it's old pages curling under the heat. "How many more are there?" 

Martin shrugged. "No one really knows. Even Leitner didn't know how many he had in the end." 

"So we could end up finding another one?" 

"I sincerely hope you don't, but yes." Mr Sims gave them all a stern look. "I hope you're not all going to go looking for danger." 

Megan grinned at him. "Oh don't worry, Mr Sims. We won't." 

He didn't look convinced. "Alright. If you do end up in more trouble, you know where to find us." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> don't ask me how they burned a soaking wet book, i will not explain 
> 
> up next: some quality megan content


	16. megan + identity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> thank you to SageAdvice who requested one of the kids figuring out their identity and going to Jon or Martin for advice 
> 
> i took that idea and just ran with it

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter features discussions of aromanticism  
> i'm not aromantic, but i am asexual, so i drew on some of my own experiences for this   
> if i have messed up anywhere and not handled these discussions correctly, pls tell me and i will fix it

"So, you'll be working in the main shop, helping stock shelves and manning the cash machine, things like that." Mrs McHale explained. Megan nodded politely. So far, the job seemed simple enough. Not that she'd expected her Saturday job in a farm shop to be particularly difficult. "Feel free to ask for help whenever you need it. We don't expect you to be in charge or to know everything immediately." 

Mrs McHale lead her back towards the front desk. "If you just wait here a second, I'll go grab your apron and we can start your training, okay?" 

She disappeared into the back room, leaving Megan standing by the desk, awkwardly hoping a customer didn't come in. 

As if on cue, the door to the shop opened. Megan considered the pros and cons of quitting without even technically starting her job. 

The figure who stepped through the door was unexpectedly familiar. 

"Oh! Hi." Martin waved awkwardly. "What brings you here?"

Megan pointed at the door Mrs McHale has just vanished through. "I'm starting work here. It's my first day." 

Martin blinked at her. "Oh! Oh, I see. Mrs McHale said we had a new person starting today. Sorry, I didn't realise it was you." 

"You work here too?" 

He pointed at the apron in his hand. "Yep. Is that a problem?" From anyone else, the question would've seemed standoffish or rude, but from Martin it sounded genuine. 

"No. To be honest, I'm kind of glad I know someone." 

"Right, here's your apron. Oh, Martin, fantastic." Mrs McHale reappeared from the back room carrying a green apron. Behind her the phone started ringing. "Would you mind showing Megan the ropes? I need to get that." She left without waiting for an answer. 

Megan watched her go, and turned back to Martin, who was shaking his head fondly. "That woman never slows down. She reminds me a bit of Jon to be honest. He's never been good at taking a break. Right, the ropes. Welcome to the wild world of working in a farm shop." 

-

Megan's brother threw a pillow at her. "I'm going out."

She shoved it off herself and pushed off the sofa. "Where?" 

"I've got a date." He grinned. "Remember that girl from the library?"

Megan did. She was pretty and brunette and annoying. 

"She agreed to go see a movie with me." 

"Have fun." 

-

"You'll meet someone someday." Her mother said. "Everyone does." 

Megan was doubtful, but she stayed silent. 

-

Martin showed her a picture on his phone over their lunch break. Mr Sims had sent it to him. It was of a cow with its tongue sticking out of its mouth lopsidedly. Mr Sims stood next to it, pulling the same face. Martin smiled so wide it looked like it hurt. 

"How long have you two been together?" 

"Oh, about a year or so. It's hard to keep track. I've liked him for almost as long as I've known him." 

"When did you realise you liked him?" 

He smiled and tapped his fork against his plate of food. "I was trapped in my flat for two weeks while being stalked by a worm creature. I realised that all I wanted to do was talk to Jon. Then he offered to let me stay in the archives, and I realised that my little crush on my boss was something more." 

Megan smiled politely. 

-

"So, any boys I should know about?" Her grandmother asked over dinner. 

"No, Nana. No boys." 

"Any girls?" 

"No, Nana. No girls either." 

-

Colin reached over Megan to steal one of Anna's chips. She giggled and swatted at his hand, but didn't stop him. The conversation carried on, and Megan pretended she didn't see the way they glanced at each other when they thought the other wasn't looking. 

-

It was a slow day at the shop. A heavy downpour of rain fell outside, slowing foot-traffic to almost nothing. Even the number of cars pulling into the small gravel car park was limited. Megan had done the rounds stocking shelves while Martin moved boxes in the store room, but by midday it was evident that there weren't enough customers to justify resorting the fresh produce section again, so Martin had pulled some chairs out of the back room and settled down with a bundle of wool and some knitting needles. He'd passed her the cable to plug into the speakers and let her play her music, mostly guitar-heavy indie rock bands, through the shops speakers. 

Megan curled up in the spare chair, book in hand and started reading. 

It was some ya novel Anna had recommended. The plot line was good enough, but by the third instance of the protagonist moping about how she would have to chose between the two, equally bland love interests, Megan had had enough. 

She snapped the book shut and dropped it on the counter. 

"You alright?" Martin asked, gently.

"I'm fine." Megan snapped. 

Martin raised an eyebrow at her. 

She sighed. "Sorry." 

"It's okay. What's on your mind?" 

"The book. Why does she have to pick one of the guys to date? Why can't she just be herself and be happy? It doesn't make any sense. And, if she does have to date someone, why make her pick out of the two dullest people ever?" 

Martin chuckled. "You're quite passionate about this book, aren't you?" 

"Sorry." 

"Oh no, don't apologise. Although, if I can, it feels like you're not angry at the book per se, but that you're angry at something else entirely. So what's this really about?" 

She sighed. "I don't know. Dating just seems to come easily to everyone else, but I don't get it. Everyone is ending up in relationships and expecting me to do the same but I can never work out how to-" She cut off, frustrated. "Everyone says I'll meet someone, but I just can't picture the someone I want to meet. What if I end up like the girl in the book, being forced to pick between two people I don't actually like just because it fits some narrative?" 

Martin looked at her steadily. "Have you ever heard the term aromantic?" 

Megan looked over at him. She shook her head. 

He bundled up his wool and kitting needles and placed them on the counter next to the book. "Aromanticism is lack of romantic attraction. I don't know much about it, Jon knows more than I do, but in my understanding, aromantics don't feel romantic attraction towards anyone. Or, in some cases, only specific people." He turned towards her. "Maybe you're feeling frustrated by all the focus on romance because you don't feel that level of attraction." 

"So, what, I'm going to die alone?" 

"Not dating someone doesn't mean you'll be alone forever. You can still meet people you care about deeply even if that attraction is purely platonic. Look at it this way, you love your friends, right?" 

Megan nodded. 

"That's platonic love. You love them without it needing to be romantic. Is that any less valid than if you dated someone?" 

She shook her head. 

"There you go then." 

She thought about it. It made sense, in a way. Even as a kid, she'd never seen what all the fuss with the idea of falling in love. Movies that ended with a couple getting married or falling in love had never really caught her attention, and, as far as she could remember, she'd never had a crush on anyone. 

"Aromantic." She said slowly, tracing the word on the counter. 

"I recommend doing your own research into it. My knowledge is very limited, but I'm more than happy to talk about it if you want to." 

-

"So, like, no one?" Anna asked.

"No one yet. Maybe no one ever." Megan shrugged. "It's all a spectrum." 

"Fair enough. Do you want me to not talk about dating around you?" 

"No, it's fine, you can still talk about your crush on Colin." 

Anna buried her face in the pillow, muffling her indignant protests. 

-

A few weeks later, Megan slipped the loop of her apron over her head, the shiny glint of a badge catching the light where it sat pinned to the front pocket. She traced a finger over the green and grey lines and smiled. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the next chapter is a bit different and a bit weird   
> it's going to be an insight into the kids groupchat, featuring memes about their general lives and the entities   
> if you want to get involved, pls feel free to make memes and send them to me on insta @statement_boo_gins or on tumblr @oakleaf--bearer and i'll put them in with credit <3


	17. the kids groupchat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> an insight into the kids groupchat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ty to Aquisedragon for requesting memes, Pirate_Captain_Conan and olive_ollie for requesting one of the kids calling jon/martin dad, MysticMallow for requesting one of them seeing jon do something spooky and flipping out, and Starhilm for requesting jon Knowing memes

**mystery gang**

**mmmm:**

[image id: the spiderverse meme where miles is mimicking peter b parker, with the text 'mr sims explaining the fears' over peter, and the text 'colin taking notes' over miles]

**jonny d’ville jr:**

i thought it might come in handy!! you never know, we might need to know these things

**bannanna:**

i can see your notes, it just says 'yikes' under the corruption

**jonny d’ville jr:**

are you saying the corruption isn't yikes?

**mmmm:**

no no, he's right, the corruption is yikes

**jonny d’ville jr:**

the fear of yikes

**bannanna:**

is that the technical term?

**Jonny d’ville jr:**

i think so yeah

**mmmm:**

i think yikes is the more common term, but the technical term is actually oof

**bannanna:**

i think oof is the vast

**jonny d’ville jr:**

this is lonely erasure

and when we all get eaten or attacked again and we actually know which entity is after us, youll thank me

mr sims would be impressed with my thorough documentation

( **bannanna** changed **jonny d’ville jr** ’s name to **mr sims jr** )

**mr sims jr:**

i hate you

**bannanna:**

:)

* * *

**mystery gang**

**mr sims jr:**

pls tell me i wasn't the only one who heard that

**bannanna:**

no i did it was incredible

**mmmm:**

heard what?

wait what happened?

**mr sims jr:**

olivia just went 'road work ahead?' and mr sims went 'uh, yeah, i sure hope it does' in the exact right tone

i do not know how to feel rn

**bannanna:**

it was like watching a celebrity try to be relatable

or the twitter of any corporation

p a i n f u l

**mmmm:**

this happened and i missed it?!?!?

me and beholding are going to have words, they need to tell me when interesting things are going to happen

**bannanna:**

it was

bad

**mr sims jr:**

the question is, did he know the quote or did he Know the quote

did the beholding think that that reference was an important thing for him to know in that moment, or did he already know it and quoted it freely

**mmmm:**

The beholding deciding that he needs to know memes is hysterical to me

its like a checklist

unimaginable amounts of torment? check

the ability to read minds? check

memes? check

hes got it all

* * *

**mystery gang**

(2:37)

**mmmm:**

mr sims looked at peoples traumatic experiences and went 'is anyone gonna eat that' and then didn't wait for an answer

**bannanna:**

megan, it is 2:30 in the morning

go to sleep

**mmmm:**

you're awake too

**bannanna:**

...

touché

(8:21)

**mr sims jr:**

[image id: 'delicious, finally some good fucking food' with the text edited to say 'some good fucking trauma']

(8:46)

**bannanna:**

did you wake up and make that

**mr sims jr:**

i had it ready to go but the topic had never come up naturally before

I have a bit of a stash ready for whenever something happens

**mmmm:**

that’s a terrifying concept i wish to see all of them

**mr sims jr:**

all in good time

* * *

**mystery gang**

**mr sims jr:**

i'm about to become an avatar of the slaughter if this old lady doesn't stop

**mmmm:**

what's happening

**mr sims jr:**

homophobic and loud

**bannanna:**

the worst combination

remember, violence is not the answer

sometimes the answer is passive aggressive actions

**mr sims jr:**

you might be right there

she just ordered chips, im gonna put too much salt on them

**bannanna:**

youre a villain

**mmmm:**

morally, i cannot condone this

however, as your friend, pls put some vinegar in her drink

**mr sims jr:**

mr sims to the rescue

**mmmm:**

oh?

**mr sims jr:**

he just came in to the café, looked at her, frowned and went to sit down

like, a second later she stood up really suddenly and bolted out the café

i went to take him his drink and he apologised and said that he hates doing that but also that that woman was vile and had tried to lecture him and martin when they were shopping the other day

idk what he didn’t but hes my hero

**bannanna:**

mr sims coming in clutch

what a guy

( **mmmm** renamed the chat to **mr sims fanclub** )

**mr sims jr:**

new favourite person

* * *

**mr sims fanclub**

(11:34)

**mmmm:**

guys, did mr sims seemed more meh than usual today?

**bannanna:**

i noticed that

**mr sims jr:**

yeah, he seemed rough

**mmmm:**

can we do anything?

**bannanna:**

think happy thoughts

**mr sims jr:**

?

**bannanna:**

he can read minds, so if we think happy thoughts loudly enough he might pick up on it

**mmmm:**

that's honestly adorable

**mr sims jr:**

anna my heart that's too cute

**bannanna:**

:)

(12:24)

**mr sims jr:**

just walked past mr sims and i tried to project the image of kittens to him and he smiled, so i think it's working

**mmmm:**

yay we helped!

**bannanna:**

go team!

* * *

**mr sims fanclub**

(14:07)

**mmmm:**

ABORT ABORT RED ALERT

(14:09)

GUYS I SWEAR TO GOD SOMEONE ANSWER ME RIGHT NOW

**bannanna:**

what's up?

you okay?

**mmmm:**

i'm hyperventilating

i just called martin dad on accident

**bannanna:**

you whAT?

**mmmm:**

he showed me how to do something and told me i did a good job and i said 'thanks dad'

i don't think he heard me

**bannanna:**

i cannot believe this

you've been adopted, martins your dad now, i'm sorry

look forward to the weirdest fathers days ever

**mmmm:**

you don't understand, i'm hiding in the bathroom at work, i cannot face him again, ive been in here for too long

( **bannanna** changed **mmmm** ’s name to **bby blackwood** )

**bannanna:**

you should get him a mug that says worlds best dad

do you reckon martin or mr sims is the strict parent

nvm it's definitely mr sims

**mr sims jr:**

wait what happened what did i miss

**bannanna:**

megan called martin dad

**mr sims jr:**

rude, i want to be adopted by martin!

do you think he'll adopt all of us?

**bby blackwood:**

i hate you both

this is the worst

i have to quit my job

i'm going to change my name and leave the country

forget i ever met martin

**mr sims jr:**

hey, don't speak about your father like that!

anna, you're wrong mr sims is definitely the pushover parent, martins the one who imposes actual rules

**bannanna:**

hmm you might be right

**bby blackwood:**

can you pls not

* * *

**mr sims fanclub**

(00:03)

**mr sims jr:**

ben and jerry's: buried or hunt

it's a simple question guys, come on

**bby blackwood:**

i do not know how to answer

**bannanna:**

i'm trying to work out how it's possibly either of them

**mr sims jr:**

bc you dig

dig for chunks

don't tell me that doesn't activate some part of your caveman brain

the pursuit of m u n c h

**bannanna:**

why am i friends with you

**mr sims jr:**

my winning personality

**bannanna:**

no that can't be it

**bby blackwood:**

why are you thinking about this at midnight

**mr sims jr:**

bc i'm craving ben and jerry's and i want to know which cosmic fear that craving is feeding

**bby blackwood:**

i hate that i relate to that

**mr sims jr:**

so which is it: buried or hunt?

**bannanna:**

buried

* * *

**mr sims fanclub**

**bannanna:**

[image id: 'ive had enough of this dude' with the text 'mr sims' boss' over it]

**bby blackwood:**

s a m e

we get it, you're evil, chill tf out

**mr sims jr:**

didn't he have two shitty bosses

**bannanna:**

oh yeah, hang on

[image id: the same image with the text edited to read 'ive had enough of these dudes' and 'mr sims bosses'

**bby blackwood:**

update on the shitty bosses front

just asked martin

apparently they were married????

**mr sims jr:**

the bosses??

to each other???

**bby blackwood:**

ya

**bannanna:**

that's disturbing

* * *

**mr sims fanclub**

**bannanna:**

i think there's a desolation avatar on my bus

he smells so strongly of smoke

not like cigarette smoke, actual smoke

**bby blackwood**

oh damn

**bannanna:**

he's holding a lighter too

**mr sims jr:**

damn you okay?

**bannanna:**

yeah i just might be moments away from death, nothing new

**bby blackwood:**

let us know if he sets the bus on fire

anna, you good, buddy?

**bannanna:**

yeah he just got off

his seat was singed

**mr sims jr:**

omg

you okay?

**bannanna:**

we didn't speak and he didn't come near me so i'm okay

remind me to tell mr sims tho

**mr sims jr:**

ill come get you from the bus stop, ill be there in a min

**bannanna:**

ty

* * *

**mr sims fanclub**

**mr sims jr:**

i've decided to drop out of school and become an avatar

**bannanna:**

of which fear?

**mr sims jr:**

undecided

i need to see my options, ya know?

we've met an eye guy, a stranger thing, and whatever the hell helen was

i think i need to see a bit more of the range

**bannanna:**

pretty fly for an eye guy

**bby blackwood:**

martin was nearly a lonely avatar

**bannanna:**

wait, really?

**bby blackwood:**

yeah apparently he had powers and everything

**mr sims jr:**

martin has powers???

are they like mr sims?

**bby blackwood:**

he hasn't told me much but i think he could turn invisible? or at least not be noticed

**mr sims jr:**

that's so cool

can he still do it?

**bby blackwood:**

i don't think so

i asked and he said no bc he's not lonely anymore

**bannanna:**

that's kinda cute

**bby blackwood:**

martin says that vast avatars seem to have the most fun

**mr sims jr:**

ehh idk i don't really like heights

**bannanna:**

dark could be cool

or the end, go back to your emo phase

**mr sims jr:**

i'll have you know, i never left my emo phase

**bby blackwood:**

martin has asked me to remind you all that becoming an avatar is not something we should aspire to, and that we should avoid things related to the entities as much as possible

**mr sims jr:**

sorry dad

**bby blackwood:**

don't you dare make that a thing

* * *

**mr sims fanclub**

**bannanna:**

the web is after me tonight

just found two spiders in my room

**bby blackwood:**

that's two spiders to many

**mr sims jr:**

that's 16 legs

**bby blackwood:**

many

**mr sims jr:**

numerous

**bannanna:**

THERE WAS A THIRD

**bby blackwood:**

24 LEGS

**mr sims jr:**

SIR THATS TOO MANY LEGS

* * *

**bannanna** to **mr sims jr**

**bannanna:**

hey, are you okay to call?

im still a bit freaked out from the spider thing and idk if i can sleep

**mr sims jr:**

absolutely

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the mechs reference is a surprise tool that will help us later
> 
> also, martin did hear megan call him dad, he was texting jon crying about it
> 
> up next: a slightly more angsty chapter ft the kids seeing just how much it sucks to be an avatar of the eye


	18. bonus: jonmartin texts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ik i said the next chapter would be angsty, but then people requested the convo between jon and martin after megan called him dad, so i had to 
> 
> the next chapter will have the angst

**martin** : 

jon, are you busy?

**Jon** : 

No, why?

Are you okay?

Did something happen?

**martin** : 

i'm okay! 

megan just called me dad 

**Jon** : 

Oh?

**martin** : 

idk why it hit me so hard 

it just slipped out and she seemed super embarrassed

she ran away to the bathroom and hasn't come out since

can you check if she's okay? 

**Jon** : 

She's fine, just a little flustered 

She thinks you didn't hear her 

**martin** : 

do i tell her that i did?

**Jon** : 

She's quite embarrassed, so I don't think she would appreciate it right now 

For what it's worth, she does see you as an influential figure in her life 

**martin** :

she does?

**Jon** : 

She does

You've helped her with a lot, she appreciates that

**martin** : 

i didn't realise, i thought i was just being helpful

**Jon** : 

She hasn't had many people be helpful in that way

**martin** :

oh jon

**Jon** : 

You would make a very good father, Martin 

**martin** : 

......

jon, should we have kids?

**Jon** : 

Perhaps a cat first, love 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me, posting a chapter at 22:30 to distract myself from the fact that i am very close to having a breakdown: ✨self care✨


	19. hungry jon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ty to TheVelociraptorCactus for requesting the kids having to deal with a hungry/spooky jon while waiting for martin to come with a statement

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cw:  
> jon goes through statement withdrawal and it's Unpleasant

The school was dark this late at night, with no daylight sleeping through the windows and several of the classrooms already closed up for the night.

Their study session had dragged on, and the trio was cutting through the main school as a shortcut to the gate out of school. 

"It feels so weird without people here." Anna said. 

"It's like a liminal space. There should be loads of people here, but there isn't." Megan hummed. "That leaves it feeling...." She waved her hands. 

Colin nodded, sagely. "Spooky." 

The girls giggled. 

They passed rows of empty rooms. Somewhere in the distance, the sound of a vacuum cleaner started up as the cleaners began their nightly rounds. Outside, a car started up, retreating into the distance. 

Colin paused as they passed Mr Sims classroom. The light was still on inside, illuminating the corridor with a dim wash of light. He opened the door and leant in. 

"Evening, Mr Sims! Are you working late?"

Mr Sims was slumped on his desk, head in his hands. His hair was limp around his shoulders and he was swaying gently, like there was an invisible force trying to push him off his chair. 

"Mr Sims?" 

He raised his head. His face was ashen, drawn tight over his skull. 

"Woah, you okay?"

Slowly, Mr Sims tried to push himself up from his desk. His arms gave way, crumpling under him. He slipped, tumbling to the ground. 

"Mr Sims!" Colin rushed over to his side. His shoulder felt clammy through his shirt as he gripped it. "What's wrong?" 

"Statement-" Mr Sims croaked out. 

He pressed a palm against his mouth. The knuckles went white as he dug his fingers into the flesh of his cheeks. 

"I'm calling Martin." Megan fished out her phone and dialled the number. 

Colin held the back of his hand to Mr Sims forehead. It was slick with sweat. "Can you hear me?" 

Their teacher nodded, hand still across his mouth. He was trembling, hunched over himself. Colin distantly heard Megan talking to Martin, but the words were lost behind the sound of Mr Sims ragged breathing. 

Anna crouched down next to him. "Mr Sims, look at me." Slowly, he turned. "You need to breathe. Can you do that?" 

He stared at her, blinking slowly. After a long minute, he nodded. 

"Good. Come on, deep breath." 

She inhaled deeply. After a moments pause, he followed suit, taking a shaky breath in through his nose. As Anna exhaled, he followed suit, keeping the hand against his mouth. 

This pattern went on for a few minutes as Mr Sims slowly calmed down. His shaking lessened, but his shoulder still felt feverish under Colin's hand. 

The door to the classroom burst open, and in marched Martin, bag clutched in his hand. He moved swiflty, coming to kneel beside Mr Sims.

"Jon, can you hear me?" 

He nodded stiffly, hands grasping at Martin's bag. Martin batted his hands away, tugging the zip open. He pulled out a piece of paper with writing scrawled across it. 

Mr Sims snatched it out his hands. 

"Statement of George Taylor, given March-" 

"Come on. You probably don't want to hear this." Martin stood and lead the way to the door, leaving Mr Sims hunkered over, reading. 

The hallway was eerily still after the rush of adrenaline. 

"What was that?" Anna stared up at Martin.

"Withdrawal. He needs the statements to survive." He sighed. "I thought he read one this morning." 

"Is he going to be okay?" 

"Probably? I've never seen him this bad before." He slumped back against the wall. 

"Does this happen often?" Megan asked. 

"Not really. He mostly stays on top of it." 

They lapsed into a tense silence for a few minutes until the door opened and out stepped Mr Sims, still looking haggard and pained. 

Martin pushed off the wall and stepped in front of him. 

"Are you okay?"

Mr Sims nodded. He seemed exhausted. His shoulders slumped and he swayed as he stood. 

Martin reached out and brushed a strand of hair away from his sweaty forehead. He turned back to the teens. 

"I'll give you all a lift home, if you want. The cars outside." 

Colin considered declining. The evening had gotten weird fast, and he didn't know how much longer he wanted to be around Mr Sims, but it was also late and dark, and Martin was a comforting presence. A glance at the girls said that they agreed. "If that's okay." 

"It's no trouble at all." Martin turned back to where Mr Sims was leaning heavily against the door. "What do you need from the classroom?"

Mr Sims blinked at him, then slowly held out the statement and an old fashioned tape recorder. Martin took both and tucked them into his bag. 

"Let's go." He wrapped one arm around his shoulder and pulled him down the corridor. 

The trio followed them as they made their way out of the school and onto the car park. 

Martin bundled Mr Sims into the passenger seat of their car. Instantly, he curled up against the window and shut his eyes. 

Colin climbed into the backseat, in between Anna and Megan. 

Absently, he heard Anna tell Martin their addresses. His eyes were fixed on the back of Mr Sims head. 

The way he had slumped over was playing on repeat in the back of his mind. He had simply collapsed, not from illness or from fatigue, but from the need to read about a strangers fear. For all the jokes any of them had made about the Entities, he'd never considered that serving one would come with its own set of consequences if the fear wasn't fed properly. 

Mr Sims had always been so ready to answer questions, provide explanations for unexplainable things, but to see him reduced to a shivering, starving.... thing had rattled Colin more than he would've ever expected. The thought to call an ambulance hadn't occurred to any of them, because that's what you did when a human was hurt, and Mr Sims had been clear about the fact that that didn't really include him anymore.

When Martin dropped Anna and Megan off to their houses, he gave their hands a quick squeeze, hoping he was being reassuring. 

Then, it was only him left, sat in a car with his inhuman teacher and his boyfriend. 

Martin met his eyes in the rear view mirror. "Are you okay?"

Colin sighed. "Yeah, I just- I didn't realise it was so bad." 

Martin nodded, thoughtfully. "It's worse than most think."

As Colin watched him pull away into the night from his front porch, he thought that, perhaps, Martin was talking about more than just Mr Sims. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was originally planned to be much, much darker, but i thought that finding their teacher looking like he's seconds away from death was already trauma enough for these kids 
> 
> i might have another chapter at some point where i do put in the darker content, but it was a lot, so let me know how you all feel about that (it features jon attempting to physically harm himself to stop himself taking their statements) 
> 
> up next: we are taking a break from the kids to see jon from the perspective of the other teachers!


	20. teachers pov

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ty to PerytonFeather227 for requesting an outside teachers pov

"Anyone seen Jon today?" 

Dana shook her head. "No, why?" 

"He's being extra..." Myra widened her eyes and wiggled her fingers like she was casting a spell. "You know?"

"What did he do?" Philip sat down at the staffroom table. 

"My car was making weird noises this morning. It had stopped by the time I got to school, but then I ran into Jon and he told me I needed to get a specific part checked. There's no way he could've known it was making noises." 

"Oh that's weird." Dana hummed. "I'm telling you, that man is psychic." 

Phillip laughed. "I thought that, and then he told me he wasn't psychic. I didn't say it out loud."

"Did he pull that face? You know the one, where he says something weird and then looks like he regrets everything."

They all laughed. Jon quirkinesses had been the subject of many staffroom discussions. His past was such a mystery, and his reluctance to clarify any of it had led to some bizarre theories over Friday night drinks. 

"Some of my students said he was a spy." Dana had announced one night. 

"Think they're right?"

Phillip had laughed. "Who knows. I doubt he'd give a straight answer. He's so damn vague."

"It's the Englishness. English people can't give straight answers." Myra added. 

The staffroom seemed to run on gossip about Jon. Every time one of them learned something new about him, it was filed away and shared as soon as the staffroom was empty. The gossip was never malicious, and it was difficult to get anything too dark out of Jon anyway. What small nuggets they did manage to get usually focused on inane and meaningless stories that didn't seem at all connected. Apparently, whatever Jon had been through to give him all those scars wasn't something he liked to dwell on. 

The door swung open and in stepped the source of their amusement. 

"Oh hi Jon. How was your class?" Dana gestured to the free chair for him to sit. 

"Uneventful." He smiled at them. "They all got on with the work quite well." 

"Really? That class has been really chatty for me for the past few lessons."

He shrugged. "I never have any problems with them. They're a good group." 

"What did you do in the lesson?

"I marked those practice essay questions they did, so we spent some of the class going over them. And the homework."

Dana frowned. "The practice questions they did yesterday?" 

He nodded. 

"Jon, did you mark thirty practice questions over night, as well as the homeworks?" 

He shrugged. "It wasn't too much. Besides, Martin was busy so I was staying out of the way." 

"How do you do it? I swear, Jon, sometimes it seems like you're inhuman." 

He spluttered quietly. 

"It was a joke, don't worry." Myra laughed We don't actually think you're somehow built to feed off paperwork." 

This earned more mumbled excuses. Phillip thought he caught a grumbled 'not like I had much say in it'. 

"So, doing much this weekend, Jon?"

"Martin wants to take a walk to the lake, so we are packing a picnic. I found a place that apparently has nice views." 

"Oh bless." Myra smiled." Have fun."

"I imagine we will. Martin's quite excited. He's actually baking some lemon bars for us to take right now."

"Oh?" 

"Uh, he texted me. Before I came in. We were talking." Jon stuttered, suddenly defensive. 

"You know we all break the rules about checking our phones in classrooms, right? None of us follow them." Dana held up a calming hand. "We aren't going to turn you in for doing that."

"Right. Of course." He shrank back a bit, then frowned and pulled out his phone. He typed out a quick text. Phillip managed to catch a glimpse of it over his shoulder. 

'That's too much flour. It'll go dry' 

The reply came a few seconds later. 

'Stop watching me cook' 

Phillip shook his head. Everything they learned about Jon only raised more questions. Being psychic would explain a lot. 

-

A few days later, Myra poked her head into the staffroom on her way to class. 

"Can't stop, but I'm just dropping by to tell you all that Jon was either in a band or knew someone who was in a band. Either way, he used to go back stage at gigs a lot." 

Dana laughed. "Never would've pegged him for a rockstar."

"Even better. It was a themed band." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is really short, i'm sorry, i've been moving   
> i'm in my new flat now and my wifi is all sorted, so i'll be posting another chapter tomorrow, and i'm super excited for that one 
> 
> coming up next, there's a new student!!!


	21. new student! pt 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ty to Pirate_Captain_Conan for requesting a new student, and NovaCasanova for requesting a dnd club (which didn't show up much this chapter, but will in the next one!)
> 
> (and also Pluviophile of Moonglade for requesting a student feeling alienated and isolated and slipping into the lonely and the kids befriending them. it didn't really come up here, but it does feature into Harrison's wider arc)

"So, this is your form group." Ms Maxwell waved around the room. "We meet here every morning to go over some things before you go to class." 

Harrison nodded. His old school had had a similar thing, so this wasn't anything new.

"Also, I'll be assigning one of the students to help show you around." 

His stomach sank. "Oh." 

Maybe his intended guide wouldn't care if he tried to escape. It was likely that they wouldn't even want to be dragging around the new kid all day. No one wanted a burden. 

"Don't worry, Colin's lovely. His timetable is very similar to yours, that's why I'm asking him to do it." 

Quietly ducking away wouldn't be an option then. If this Colin shared enough of his lessons, it would be hard to avoid him.

Students started filing into the classroom. Harrison had to think of something fast. Any excuse to avoid having to deal with someone's pity and forced friendship.

"Colin! Can I see you for a sec?" 

Harrison fidgeted. The boy that was coming over looked like the kind that wouldn't usually give Harrison the time of day. His uniform was a bit scruffy, and mismatched. His sleeves were slightly too short for his arms, and his hair was unkempt, but he made it all work in a rugged, nonchalant way. 

"Hey. What can I do for you?"

"This is Harrison, he's just joined our school. I was wondering if you would be willing to show him around." 

Colin broke out into a massive grin, all open mouth and giddy. "Absolutely! It's nice to meet you, Harrison." 

He held out a fist, clearly expecting Harrison to bump it. He did, a little stiffly. Colin grinned again. "Come on, let's find you a seat." He waved for Harrison to follow, before setting off down the rows of benches. Harrison shot one last look at Ms Maxwell and followed him. 

Colin led to the back of the classroom, where a small cluster of tables were pushed together. Two girls were sat, leaning over the aisle between the tables, chatting. 

"Guys, this is Harrison. He's new." 

Harrison thought the clarification of his status as the 'new kid' was unnecessary, but the girls both smiled at him, warm and genuine. 

"Welcome! I'm Anna." She waved at him. She was pretty, all straight brown hair and hazel eyes and a small spattering of freckles. Not the kind of person who hung out with Harrison. 

"Hi." 

Colin sat in one of the free chairs and gestured for Harrison to take the other. 

"This is Megan." He waved a hand at the other girl, a black girl with a bright, happy smile that showed teeth lined with braces. 

"Nice to meet you!" 

They all seemed genuine in their enthusiasm, but Harrison had never been the best at reading others. This could all be a lie, a facade. People didn't make sense most of the time, why should these three be the exception. 

And yet, they fell into an easy conversation, occasionally asking Harrison for his opinions or thoughts on something, but never demanding he be the centre of attention for long. When he had nothing to say, they carried the conversation well enough without him, but when he felt a sentence bubble up inside him, they all listened and let him speak. It was strange. Throughout all of it, Harrison searched their faces for signs of deceit or annoyance about being handed a new person to keep an eye on, but there was none. 

When the bell rang, Colin got up and told Harrison to follow him. They were sharing their first class, maths, and Colin walked with him to the room. He introduced him to the teacher and offered to go over the course with him. 

After maths, Colin took him to the science block. He pointed out the right room and told him he would meet him in the corridor after class. Without him there, Harrison struggled through introducing himself to the teacher and finding his own seat. 

At the end of class, Harrison goes outside. Colin isn't where he said he'd meet him, and Harrison isn't surprised. The idea that he would've waited was ridiculous. 

Harrison was halfway down the corridor before he heard someone shouting his name.

He turned in time to see Colin jog up alongside him. 

"Hey, you weren't where we agreed to meet. You alright?"

"Yeah. I thought you might not want to be showing me around all day." 

Colin waved a hand dismissively. "It's no trouble. You don't have to come with me if you don't want to, but you seem cool, so I'd like to hang out with you more." 

Harrison blinked. "Really?"

"Yeah, absolutely. Oh, I forgot to say earlier, but I really like your badge." He pointed at the shiny trans pride flag Harrison had pinned to his backpack. 

Oh. 

"Thanks."

Colin grinned again. "No problem! Come on, let's get to English." 

After english, Megan took Harrison over to the art block since Colin had geography on the other side of the school. She walked quickly, pointing out strange little quirks in the displays, like a poster that had been upside down for four months and still hadn't been fixed, and a slab that wobbled on the stairs by the playground. 

Megan left him at the door to the art room and left to go to her music lesson. 

Throughout art, Harrison kept to the back table, only standing to fetch more paint on his small palette. Still life of cake wasn't his favourite thing to paint, but it passed the time. His fingers itched to get out his own sketchbook and get to work, draw something he actually liked. 

When it got to lunch, Anna appeared outside his classroom to walk him down to the canteen. 

She asked him about his art class as they walked, and nodded when he said he hadn't wanted to paint the fruit. 

"That fruit is the bane of my existence. I had to paint it for my entire last project, I hated it." 

She promised to show him her paintings as they caught up with Colin and Megan outside the entrance to the dining hall.

The canteen was loud and full of students, all crowded around wobbly tables covered in food. It was hot and uncomfortable, and the smells from the kitchen made Harrison blink. 

Harrison fidgeted. The quiet voice in the back of his head whispered that everyone was looking at him, watching him, talking about the 'new kid'. 

Colin frowned. "There's no room. Do you need to get one of the hot lunches or do you have a packed lunch?" 

Harrison gripped the strap of his bag. His lunchbox was buried in the bottom. "Lunchbox." 

"Right, lets go. We aren't going to get a table in here anyway." 

Harrison frowned. There were a few tables that would be plenty big enough for the four of them, but Colin knew more about the actual quality of the tables than him, so he didn't argue. 

The group wandered out of the main canteen and back towards the classrooms. 

"Mr Sims sometimes lets us eat in his classroom." Anna explained. "Have you met Mr Sims yet?" 

Harrison shook his head. "No, what does he teach?"

"History. Roman Britain to be exact. He's a bit weird, and he's also psychic." 

They stopped walking and opened a door to one of the classrooms. 

At the desk sat a disheveled, hunched man. His face was covered with small, round scars, and his eyes were a startling green against his dark skin. His long hair was laced with shiny grey streaks. Harrison thought he looked like a small, scruffy wizard like something out of one of the old fantasy books he liked to read. 

"I'm not psychic." He said, as if he'd heard the entire conversation they had been having before they walked in. 

"But you don't deny that you're weird?" Colin grinned at him. It seemed to be his default expression. 

Mr Sims raised an eyebrow, but didn't respond. 

Harrison followed the others to the front of the classroom, where they spread out and pulled out lunchboxes. 

"Hello Harrison. I'm Mr Sims."

Harrison blinked at him, a little confused. He didn't remember telling him his name. "Oh, I looked on the system."

Megan snorted. "Mr Sims learns everyone's names insanely fast. He just knows everything." 

"Not quite everything. Martin says hi, by the way." 

She waved, mouth full of sandwich. 

Harrison pulled out his own lunchbox. His dad had packed him some ham sandwiches, and a small tub of mini sausages. He carefully unwrapped them and started eating, listening to the chatter of the others. Mr Sims got out his own lunch and joined them, propping one leg up on his chair. 

When his lunch was finished, Harrison packed away his rubbish into his lunchbox and put it back into his bag. He pulled out his sketchbook and pencils and sat back. 

He flipped the sketchbook open to a new page and started to doodle. Slowly, the shape of a wizard formed on the page. He was majestic, brandishing a staff in one hand and an orb in the other.

"Have any of you played Dungeons and Dragons?" 

Harrison's head snapped up. Mr Sims was munching away on a mouthful of rice, looking at the others. 

"Once." Megan answered. "It was fun, I liked it. Why?"

"Ms Maxwell has asked if I would help run a club. I used to play in uni, so I thought Dungeons and Dragons would be fun." Mr Sims explained. "Martin says I have something of a voice for storytelling." 

"That sounds cool." Anna said. 

"Harrison?" Mr Sims turned to him. "What do you think?"

Harrison wrung his hands together. "I really like dnd." 

Colin sipped his water. "I don't know much about it, could you tell me what it's like?" 

"It's a tabletop roleplaying game. There's a dungeon master, they guide the players through the story, and the players decide what actions they want to do. You roll dice to see how well those actions go." He reached into his pocket and pulled out his packet of mini dice. "These are some of mine. I have loads of dice, this is just one of the sets." 

Carefully, he tipped the tube out onto the table. The dice made a satisfying clacking sound as they rolled out. 

He pulled one of them towards him. "This is the d20, it's the most common dice. You use it for pretty much all the non combat rolls, and then some in combat too." He rolled it between his fingers. "When you make a roll there's something called modifiers. You add them to your dice roll." 

He glanced up at them. The whole group was looking at him. "Sorry, I didn't mean to go on."

Colin grinned at him again. "It's fine! It's really interesting. Can you tell me more about the modifiers?" 

Harrison glanced at Mr Sims, who gestured for him to continue. He smiled and launched into an explanation about character sheets and skills. They all listened intently, nodding along with what he was saying and asking questions when they didn't understand something, letting him clarify the points carefully. 

For a brief moment, Harrison found he didn't mind the attention. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> actual descriptions of the kids? in my fic? what's going on?!
> 
> ngl guys, harrison might be my new fave character to write, he's so fun 
> 
> up next: the dnd game! 
> 
> also: trans rights!!


	22. new student! pt 2

Jon was curled up on the sofa, notebook in hand, when Martin got home. 

"Evening. How was work?"

Martin leant over the back of the sofa and kissed the top of his head. "Tiring. What are you doing?"

"Planning a dnd campaign."

Martin laughed and looped an arm around Jon's shoulders. "What?"

"What? You've never heard of dnd?"

"Of course I've heard of it, I just didn't think you would've."

Jon leant back, looking up at Martin. "Why not? I did go to uni, you know."

"Don't rub it in. Why are you planning a campaign?"

"You remember I told you we have a new boy joining us?" Martin nodded. "He plays. I thought he might need something to help ground him, make him feel at home. Make him feel less... lonely." 

Martin buried his soft smile in the top of Jon's hair. "We need to talk about your hero complex one day."

"Never."

"Hmm. What's the new student like?"

"Harrison. Good kid. Megan and the others have somewhat taken him under their wing." 

"Bless." Martin let go of him and came around the sofa. "So, dnd. What's the campaign like?"

Jon held out the notebook and started to explain. 

-

( **colin** created a new group) 

**colin** : 

hey guys!

**megan** : 

yo

**anna** : 

hey! 

**harrison** : 

hello! 

thank you for adding me

**colin** : 

np dude 

( **colin** renamed the group ' **dnd babey** ')

**harrison** : 

XD 

**anna** : 

love the rhyme, this is good 

**megan** : 

i'm about to start my shift, martin says hi 

**colin** : 

martin!!!!

**anna** : 

hi martin!!!!

**harrison** : 

who's martin?

**colin** : 

mr sims boyf 

they're adorable 

megan works with him

**harrison** : 

oh, nice!

hi martin!

**megan** : 

he says hi harrison 

**anna** : 

harrison, if i send you a picture of my character sheet can you check it for me?

**harrison** : 

sure! what class did you pick?

**colin** :

i picked bard!

**anna** :

cleric

**harrison** : 

nice! i'm a wizard 

does anyone know what megan went with?

**anna** : 

fighter i think 

**harrison** : 

oh good, we have a good range! 

that means we cover pretty much everything we will need to cover 

anna, your character sheet just came through, it looks good 

**anna** : 

nice! i did cheat a little and use an online guide, but still 

wanted to check 

**harrison** : 

it looks good! i don't usually play as a cleric, so idk much about it, but it still looks good 

**anna** : 

thank you! 

-

"Woah, that's a lot of dice." Colin looked impressed. 

"I thought you might not have any, so you can borrow some if you want." Harrison pushed the bag towards him. It made a satisfying clinking sound. 

Colin grinned and rifled through it, carefully picking out a matching set of red and gold dice. "Thanks."

"You're welcome." 

"They're so cool!" Anna leant over the table. "How many sets do you have?" 

"8, but I bought these ones in a big set." He pointed to one of the bags. "They all came together." 

"Which ones are your favourites?" Megan asked. 

Harrison held up one of his slightly translucent pink and blue ones. "These. My dad bought me them after I started transitioning." 

Megan made a small 'aww' sound. 

The classroom door swung open and Mr Sims marched in, bag over his shoulder. "Sorry I'm late, I had to get from the other side of the school."

"It's okay! Harrison was showing us his dice." Megan gestured at the table. 

"Oh, nice." Mr Sims examined the pile. "I have ones just like them." He pointed to a cluster of purple and blue ones. "Anyway, dnd club. Technically, I have to do a register, but I know you're all here."

He gave a small, pleased smile. 

"Now, do you all have the character sheets?"

They all nodded. 

"Excellent. Shall we begin?" 

He took a notebook out of his bag. Several stickers were stuck to the front, and two in one of the corners caught Harrison's eye. A small bi pride flag sat next to an ace flag. Mr Sims caught Harrison looking at them and smiled. 

"Right. A local minor noble has hired you all to investigate the disappearance of their son." Mr Sims explained. "He's offering a lot of money, since this is his only heir. His son was last seen at the tavern in a nearby village, but no one has seen him for days, so wants you to go and bring his son home. You've just walked into the tavern. Some of the patrons are giving you looks, but this town is on a common trade route, so their used to strangers. What do you want to do?"

"I think we should talk to the barkeep or tavern owner. They might have some information that could come in handy." Colin said.

They went over to the barkeep. 

Harrison almost laughed when Mr Sims started talking in the barkeeps voice. It was so sudden, and so different from his usual accent, which toed the line of posh. This was gruff and a bit northern. 

"Yeah I know him. Haven't seen him in a few days though. Why, did something happen?" 

They explained the disappearance to the barkeep, and he pointed them towards a man sat in the corner who would often get drinks with the nobles son. 

"Before he vanished he was telling me about a cave system nearby. Apparently there's a treasure buried deep underground. My guess, he went after that." 

By the time they were in the middle of their first fight against the bandits that had set up camp in the caves, Harrison wished they had asked around for more information first. 

The fight went surprisingly well, all things considered. Colin's bard took a substantial amount of damage, but Anna's cleric was ready with Healing Word. 

Harrison loved it. Mr Sims storytelling was on the right side of weird. Whenever he delivered exposition, Harrison found himself hanging off every word. Something inside him wanted to hear every single piece of world building Mr Sims had created. 

The others could feel it too. Harrison could see it in their matching expressions of quiet awe. 

Clearly, Mr Sims also knew how to create a cliffhanger. Right after he revealed that the noble's son had actually hired the bandits to fake his kidnapping, he shut his notebook and announced "That's our time I'm afraid."

"Mr Sims!" Anna protested. 

"I'm sorry, the hour is up. We have to clear out of the classrooms now for the cleaners. We'll finish the second half next week."

Harrison put his dice back into his bag. "That was really fun, Mr Sims. Thank you."

He waved the compliment away. "It's no trouble. It was nice to do it again. Georgie and I used to play a lot, and I forgot how much I liked it."

Anna gaped at him. "You used to play dnd with Georgie Barker?" 

Mr Sims blinked at her. "How did you know it was that Georgie?"

"You know Melanie, it makes sense that you know Georgie too." 

"Hang on. You know Georgie and Melanie from What the Ghost?" 

Mr Sims groaned. "Not you too. Everywhere I go, everyone knows them." He straightened up. "Yes, Georgie and Melanie are good friends of mine. Well, actually, they both sort of hate me, but we are getting there. More or less." 

"How do you know them?" Harrison asked, shoving his character sheet and notes into his backpack. 

"Georgie and I went to uni together and Melanie worked with me for a while." 

"Hang on, wait, wait. Hang on." Megan held up her hands. "Mr Sims. Are you Georgie's uni boyfriend?"

He fixed her with a tired look. "Yes."

"Amazing. Amazing." Anna shook her head in disbelief. "I cannot believe this." 

"Don't tell anyone. I don't want everyone to start asking me about her. Like I said, she's not too happy with me at the moment."

Harrison gaped at him slightly. 

"Come on. Let's leave before the cleaners get even more upset at me." 

Mr Sims walked them out, stopping at the front gate. "I'll see you all tomorrow. Stay safe." 

Anna waved at a car parked across the road. "Anyone need a lift home?"

Colin shook his head. "Megan's taking me. Thanks though."

"Harrison?"

"I only live around the corner, I'll be okay." 

"If you're sure." Anna said slowly. "Text us when you get home okay." 

Harrison nodded and set off down the road. As he went to turn down the alleyway that lead to his usual route home, he glanced back at the school.

Mr Sims was stood, tension in every line of his body, glaring across the road. 

Harrison looked at where he was staring. 

On the other side of the road, half concealed under a bus stop, stood a terrifying asian woman. She smirked cruelly at Mr Sims, shot a finger gun at him once, then turned to walk away. 

Across her back, partially concealed by her tank top, was a tattoo of a man, flames licking their way across his body. 

She disappeared around a corner. Mr Sims' gaze swivelled towards Harrison. 

From this distance it should've been impossible to see, but Harrison could've sworn that Mr Sims eyes were glowing an unnatural green. 

Harrison set off at a sprint down the alleyway. He didn't slow until he was inside his room, door firmly shut behind him, the smell of smoke lingering in the air. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> that was a wild one, huh? i needed to get some groundwork laid for some upcoming stuff 
> 
> ik the dnd game was a very minuscule part, but it's tricky to write about a fictional campaign without making it a) super boring and b) super long 
> 
> also, i do basically have the full notes for this campaign, bc i got inspired while writing this chapter 
> 
> up next: either some good good helen content, or the much requested parent teacher night chapter  
> lmk in the comments which one you would prefer to see next!!


	23. hungry jon (rewrite)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this is a rewrite of chapter 19   
> it is quite a bit darker than anything i've ever written, so pls read the content warnings in the opening notes or the summary in the end notes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> content warnings:   
> -statement withdrawal   
> -blood   
> -self inflicted injury   
> -non-consensual statement taking  
> -eye related injury   
> -vomiting 
> 
> check the summary in the end notes to see more specific warnings
> 
> pls do not feel obligated to read this just bc you like this fic, my primary goal in all of this is to provide entertainment   
> if you think this chapter will be triggering for you, or you just don't want to read a darker chapter, then pls don't read it 
> 
> stay safe, love you all   
> oak x

The school was dark this late at night, with no daylight sleeping through the windows and several of the classrooms already closed up for the night.

Their study session had dragged on, and the trio was cutting through the main school as a shortcut to the gate out of school. 

"It feels so weird without people here." Anna said. 

"It's like a liminal space. There should be loads of people here, but there isn't." Megan hummed. "That leaves it feeling...." She waved her hands. 

Colin nodded, sagely. "Spooky." 

The girls giggled. 

They passed rows of empty rooms. Somewhere in the distance, the sound of a vacuum cleaner started up as the cleaners began their nightly rounds. Somewhere outside, a car started up, retreating into the distance. 

Colin paused as they passed Mr Sims classroom. The light was still on inside, illuminating the corridor with a dim wash of light. He opened the door and leant in. 

"Evening, Mr Sims! Are you working late?"

Mr Sims was slumped on his desk, head in his hands. His hair was limp around his shoulders and he was swaying gently, like there was an invisible force trying to push him off his chair. 

"Mr Sims?" 

He raised his head. His face was ashen, drawn tight over his skull. 

"Woah, you okay?"

Slowly, Mr Sims tried to push himself up from his desk. His arms gave way, crumpling under him. He slipped, tumbling to the ground. 

"Mr Sims!" Colin rushed over to his side. His shoulder felt clammy through his shirt as he gripped it. "What's wrong?" 

"Statement-" Mr Sims croaked out. 

He pressed a palm against his mouth. The knuckles went white as he dug his fingernails into his cheeks. His jaw worked as he tried to form words past his hand, the sentences coming out muffled and desperate. 

"I'm calling Martin." Megan fished out her phone and dialled the number. 

Mr Sims shuddered, his free hand coming up to his eyes, trembling fingers erratically fluttering over them. His eyes rolled in their sockets, whites showing as he frantically looked around the room. 

Colin held the back of his hand to Mr Sims forehead. It was slick with sweat. "Can you hear me?" 

Mr Sims pressed his thumb down on one of his own eyes. 

Colin grabbed his hand and pulled it away. "What are you doing? You'll hurt yourself!"

Mr Sims dropped the hand covering his mouth. Small red crescents littered the skin around his mouth from where his fingernails had pierced his cheeks. 

"State-" 

Mr Sims bit down, hard.Colin saw a thin film of blood cover his teeth from the fresh cut in his tongue. 

"Mr Sims, what's going on?" Colin felt panic bubble up inside him. 

Mr Sims rolled over and retched. Colin grabbed the bin and put it in front of him just in time for Mr Sims to spit out a mouthful of blood and bile into He reached up and clawed at his eyes again. His nails caught the soft skin under his eyes, leaving small gashes down his cheeks as the flesh tore. 

Anna dropped down next to them and grabbed his hand. 

He trashed, one leg kicking out. It caught the edge of the table and jolted it, knocking an old fashioned tape recorder off, landing on the floor with a sharp crack. 

Mr Sims yanked his hand out of Anna's grip. She yelped and toppled back. He scrambled to his knees and reached for the tape recorder, hands clawing along the carpet. 

Colin reached for it with his free hand and carefully passed it to him. Mr Sims snatched it out of his hands and held it to his chest. 

His eyes swivelled to Colin. A bright, toxic green gaze bored into his, the stare seeing past his eyes and deep into his mind, his heart, his  _ soul _ . 

Colin felt him See. 

"Statement of Colin Wardell, regarding his-" 

Mr Sims pulled his hand out of Colin's grasp and pressed it against his forehead, squeezing his eyes shut. He curled in on himself, shrinking away from Colin, wrapping his burned hand around his own throat and squeezing. 

Colin felt the weight of his Gaze lift off him, leaving him dizzy and gasping. He felt Megan's hands grip his shoulders and pull him away from Mr Sims hunched form. 

The door to the classroom burst open, and in marched Martin, bag clutched in his hand. He moved swiflty, coming to kneel beside Mr Sims, hands cupping Mr Sims bloody cheeks, pulling his hand away from his throat. 

"Jon, can you hear me?" 

Mr Sims thrashed in his grip, hands clutching the strap of Martin's bag. 

"Jon?"

"Statement of-" He pressed his fist into his mouth, teeth cutting gashes in the knuckles. With his free hand, he grabbed at Martin's bag.

Martin batted his hands away, tugging the zip open. He pulled out a piece of paper with writing scrawled across it. 

Mr Sims snatched it out his hands. It tore at the corner. 

"Statement of George Taylor, given March-" He started to choke the words past the blood in his mouth. The cuts on his hands left small red smears across the page. 

"Come on. You probably don't want to hear this." Martin stood and lead the way to the door, leaving Mr Sims hunkered over, reading. 

The hallway was eerily still after the rush of adrenaline. 

"What was that?" Anna stared up at Martin.

"Withdrawal. He needs the statements to survive." He sighed. "I thought he read one this morning." 

"Is he going to be okay?" 

"Probably? I've never seen him this bad before." He slumped back against the wall. 

"Does this happen often?" Megan asked. 

"Not really. He mostly stays on top of it." Martin's eyes widened. "Oh god. I made him stay in bed this morning, he was late. This is my fault." 

Colin shifted. He didn't really know Martin well enough to make a judgement on fault, but he didn't think that the large, charming man was capable of causing- whatever had happened to Mr Sims. 

The door opened and out stepped Mr Sims. The desperate, ravenous hunger had faded from his face, leaving behind a weary exhaustion. The gashes around his eyes had already begun to scab, and his cheeks had a contented flush, like he'd just eaten a hearty meal. A small ring of bruises littered his throat. 

Martin pushed off the wall and stepped in front of him. 

"Are you okay?"

Mr Sims nodded. His shoulders slumped and he swayed as he stood. 

Martin reached out and brushed a strand of hair away from his sweaty forehead. He pulled a tissue out of his pocket and wiped the blood and vomit that had leaked from Mr Sims mouth onto his chin. He turned back to the teens. 

"I'll give you all a lift home, if you want. The cars outside." 

Colin considered declining. The evening had gotten weird fast, and he didn't know how much longer he wanted to be around Mr Sims, no matter how weak he looked, but it was also late and dark enough that the dense shadows creeping out of the corners made Colin's stomach turn, and Martin was a comforting presence. A glance at Anna's tear stained cheeks and Megan's shaking hands said that they agreed. "If that's okay." 

"It's no trouble at all." Martin turned back to where Mr Sims was leaning heavily against the door. "What do you need from the classroom?"

Mr Sims blinked at him through tired eyes, then slowly held out the bloodstained statement and tape recorder. His fingertips and under his nails were caked with drying blood. Martin took both and tucked them into his bag. 

"Let's go." He wrapped one arm around his shoulder and pulled him down the corridor. 

The trio followed them as they made their way out of the school and onto the car park. 

Martin bundled Mr Sims into the passenger seat of their car. Instantly, he curled up against the window and shut his eyes. 

Colin climbed into the backseat, in between Anna and Megan. 

Absently, he heard Anna tell Martin their addresses. His eyes were fixed on the back of Mr Sims head. 

The way he had slumped over was playing on repeat in the back of his mind. He had simply collapsed, not from illness or from fatigue, but from malnutrition caused by the need to read about a strangers fear. For all the jokes any of them had made about the Entities, he'd never considered that serving one would come with its own set of consequences if the fear wasn't fed properly. 

Mr Sims had always been so ready to answer questions, provide explanations for unexplainable things, but to see him reduced to a shivering, starving.... thing had rattled Colin more than he would've ever expected. The thought to call an ambulance hadn't occurred to any of them, because that's what you did when a human was hurt, and Mr Sims had been clear about the fact that that didn't really include him anymore.

He stared down at his hands, at the thin line of blood drying on his cuff from where he had pulled Mr Sims hand away from his face, away from his eyes, to stop him from-

"Martin?" Mr Sims voice was so quiet that Colin almost missed it.

"I'm here." Martin reached across the console and squeezed his arm. "How are you feeling?"

He mumbled something under his breath. 

"I know, Jon. It's okay, you didn't."

"But what if I do?" 

Martin sighed. "We'll deal with that when it happens. If it happens." 

Mr Sims nodded and went back to staring out the window. Through the rear view mirror, Colin saw the green slowly fade from his eyes. 

When Martin dropped Anna and Megan off to their houses, Colin gave their hands a quick squeeze, hoping he was being reassuring. 

Then, it was only him left, sat in a car with his inhuman teacher and his boyfriend. 

Martin met his eyes in the rear view mirror. "Are you okay?"

Colin sighed. "Yeah, I just- I didn't realise it was so bad." 

Martin nodded, thoughtfully. "It's worse than most think."

As Colin watched him pull away into the night from his front porch, he thought that, perhaps, Martin was talking about more than just Mr Sims. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> summary:   
> -jon is going through statement withdrawal  
> -he almost takes colin's statement   
> -to stop himself, jon attempts to claw his own eyes out, as well as biting his tongue  
> -he vomits up blood as a result of biting his tongue   
> -jon also tries to choke himself 
> 
> i know i said that i would be posting a different chapter, i promise we will be back to our regularly scheduled content next chapter, i just wanted to post this one between two light chapters so that there would be something a bit nicer to read either side of it, and i wanted to post it now before i started getting into some of the more plot heavy chapters that i have planned 
> 
> also, as a treat, colin's name has a bit of an easter egg in it 
> 
> up next: jon has to do a parent teacher night (ft the kids families)


	24. parent teacher night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> thank you to literally everyone for requesting this   
> fr, so many people wanted this, i really hope you all like it, i tried my best

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> writing this made me remember how much parent teacher nights sucked   
> some of the things said here were directly lifted from my own experience

_ ' Be polite _ _.'_ Martin had said. 

Jon was polite. He was a grown man, he could handle one might talking to a room full of strangers about their children. He'd survived unscathed when Elias had made him go to the donors dinner after he had been promoted, and that had been full of avatars who wanted him dead. 

This would be easy. 

Jon smoothed down his shirt for the fifth time in the past few minutes. 

"Mr Sims?" Anna poked her head into the classroom. A tall woman stood behind her, a few of the pamphlets and info sheets handed out to visitors clutched in her hands. Jon remembered meeting her when the trio had gotten stranded in the storm. Mrs Mitchell hadn't changed since then. 

"Hello, Anna. Come have a seat." Jon stood and held out his hand to her mother. She shook it, smiling slightly. 

"My husband is on his way, he's just taking our youngest to the bathroom."

"That's no trouble at all. Shall we start or would you like to wait for him?"

"We can start, he won't mind." 

Jon nodded and glanced down at the page in front of him. "Anna's a hard worker. Since I joined the school, her work has been pretty consistent. She gets things handed in on time, all her work is up to date, her essays are well thought out and coherent. I'm impressed."

Anna beamed. Mrs Mitchell smiled, the same warm happy expression that Anna often had. It must've been genetic. 

"That's good to hear. Anna's always saying that your lessons are her favourite."

"Mum." Anna blushed furiously. 

Jon smiled. "Thank you. I try my best." 

At that moment, a small boy ran into the room and clambered onto Anna's lap, followed by a tall, smiling man. 

Anna's little brother, Toby, was a tiny ball of round red cheeks and big hazel eyes. He curled up on Anna's lap, staring at Jon.

The boy held out a small, chubby hand, reaching across the table to Jon.

Jon smiled, and took the hand in a small handshake. "Hello, Toby." 

Jon felt Mrs Mitchell's confusion before he realised what he had said. ' _ Idiot _ .' He thought. ' _ You've never met this child, why would you know it's name? _ ' 

From the look on Anna's face, she was thinking it too. 

"Ah, um, Anna's mentioned him before. In class."

Anna nodded quickly. "Yeah, loads of times."

"Right." Jon cleared his throat. "Mr Mitchell, it's nice to meet you. I'm Mr Sims, Anna's history teacher."

"Oh, right, yeah, she's talked about you." 

Anna buried her face in Toby's hair. 

"She's a very good student. If I had a classroom full of Anna's I think my job would be much easier." 

"Thanks." Anna mumbled. 

"So what sort of things do you teach?" Mr Mitchell said, sitting down in the free chair. 

Jon looked at him. "History. Roman Britain. At the moment we are looking at cultural shifts following the Roman's arrival in Britain." 

"Oh wow, big stuff."

"Quite. Anna's handling it very well, though."

"Yeah, but what else can she be doing?"

Jon frowned. "How do you mean?"

"How can she be getting better grades?" 

Jon glanced at Anna. Her eyes were fixed on the table. 

"Anna's working to a more than acceptable standard. Her work is consistently good. If she keeps up the level she's at now, she'll finish the year with a very respectable grade." 

"Yeah, but you can always do better, you know? If you stay at 'acceptable' then how will you be outstanding? I just want her to do as well as I know she can." 

Jon furrowed his brow slightly. "I wouldn't be concerned about Anna's grades at all. I'm very proud of the work she's done this year." 

Anna glanced up at him and gave a small smile. 

"Right, we just want to keep her work good. We don't want her slipping at all." 

"I'm happy to talk through some revision plans with Anna in class, but I don't have any prepared at the moment." Jon did, they were in the top drawer of his desk, but Mr Mitchell didn't need to know that. 

"If you could, that would be great." 

Jon nodded, narrowing his eyes slightly. 

_ ' Be polite ,  Jon .'  _

_ 'I'm always polite.' _

_ 'Sure you are.'  _

"Well, do either of you have any questions?"

The Mitchell's shared a glance, seemingly deciding that no, they didn't want to ask any questions. 

Mrs Mitchell shook her head and gathered up her papers again. "Thank you so much."

"Not at all." Jon stood. 

Mr Mitchell held out his hand. 

'Be polite.'

Jon shook his hand. 

The Mitchell's left the room in a huddle, Anna hauling Toby behind her. Toby shot Jon a final wide eyed stare. Jon smiled and waved at him. 

Jon slumped forward, head in his hands. Only one student down and he'd already Known something. Jon was starting to suspect that this was going to be a long night. 

He hated being proved right. 

An evening of sweaty handshakes would've been bad enough, but by the third parent telling him he was wrong a little too loudly, that their child was working towards much higher marks and that they had never been late for a homework ever, Jon was seriously considering quitting his job. 

Naturally, just as Jon was mentally drafting his resignation letter, Colin bounded into the room, grinning. His mother, Miss Cecily Wardell, aspiring writer and owner of the cafe Wardell's Corner, trailed behind him. The familial similarities were immediately obvious. They shared the same brassy curls and mischievous glint to their eyes, and neither stood fully upright despite both being on the shorter side. She was about the same age as Jon, thought the years had been far kinder to her than they had been to him. 

Jon felt the familiar tug of knowledge as he shook her hand and gestured for her to sit in the chair. He pushed it down and forced himself to smile at her. 

"Miss Wardell," He began. "I'm sure I don't have to tell you that Colin is a very curious boy. He likes to ask questions, even when he doesn't fully stay on topic with them." 

Miss Wardell smiled at Colin. "That sounds like him." 

"It's a welcome change. Usually students don't want to ask questions."

Colin grinned at him. "You know literally everything, so it's nice to get actual answers." 

Jon fidgeted, smiling slightly. It wasn't like he could help knowing everything. The Beholding had made him a walking trivia sheet. If he could use that gift as a way of satisfying the innocent curiosity of a kid, then that was a much nicer option than the alternative. 

"Right, yes. Questions aside, Colin sometimes forgets to hand homework in on time. He could do with paying a little more attention, he often gets sidetracked, but overall his work is quite good. If he makes sure he catches up on work that he misses and buts just a little more effort into staying on task, then I believe he could do quite well. I'm very impressed with the progress he's made so far." 

Miss Wardell beamed. "That's good to hear. Do you have any advice on how he should do the catch up work?" 

"Don't do it all at once. You'll go mad if you sit down with the intention of doing everything, so space it out over a few days, do a task or two each day. It'll feel like less of a mammoth task that way." 

Collin nodded. 

"Also, set yourself goals for what you want to do each day." Jon added. "Say you'll spend an hour or so doing one task and then see how much more time you need to finish. Spacing it out like that can really help." 

Colin considered it. "Huh. I've never thought of that."

Miss Wardell. "I've been telling you for years that you need to pace yourself." 

"I know, but that's Mum talk, you know?"

Miss Wardell nodded like she understood what he was saying. Jon didn't. 

"Well, unless you have any more questions..." He held out a hand.

"Thank you." Miss Wardell stood and shook his hand. "This has been very helpful. Thank you, Mr Sims."

"No trouble at all." 

She looped her arm around Colin's shoulder and led him out of the room. 

Jon sat back in his chair. His next appointment was running late, so he had some time to diffuse and take a breather. Absently, he Looked around the school, a the parents and students making their way to appointments, chattering to other teachers, going about their lives. His attention was caught as he heard his own name. 

"Your history teacher, Mr Sims. He's... interesting, isn't he?" Mr Mitchell said to Anna as they sat waiting for their next meeting. 

"What's that supposed to mean, Dad?" Anna looked at him a little sharply.

"No, not like that, I just... He's very intense, isn't he?" 

"He's a good teacher, Dad. I like his lessons." 

Her dad held up his hands. "I'm not saying that's a bad thing, honey, I'm just saying that he seems like a lot."

"Is this about his scars?" Anna asked. "He's not dangerous."

Jon sighed. Her blind faith was nice, if misplaced. He was, technically, extremely dangerous. 

"I'm not saying he's dangerous sweetheart, I'm just saying you don't get scars like that working as a teacher."

"He used to work in an archive." She mumbled, gripping Toby's hand a little tighter. 

"Don't mumble, honey. You know it's better to speak clearly." 

Anna closed her eyes. Jon could feel her thoughts, a repeated apology projected his way. 'I'm sorry, he doesn't mean it, I'm sorry,'

Jon Looked away, in time to catch sight of Harrison heading towards his classroom. 

"He runs the dnd club. The campaign is so cool."

Harrison's dad made an intrigued sound. "Oh?"

"There's a kidnapping, we have to go save the guy, but he arranged the whole thing as a way of getting to this cave full of magical artefacts, but then there's this ghost-" 

"Ooh!!"

"Yeah! The ghost is protecting the artefacts, and it's super weird..." 

Jon chuckled and looked up in time for Harrison to come into the room. 

"Hello Harrison." 

Harrison waved and ducked behind his dad slightly. 

Their meeting went well. Harrison stayed mostly quiet, fidgeting in his seat and occasionally adding comments when Jon referenced specific lessons or moments from class. He smiled when Jon mentioned that he was making friends and doing well in the lessons. Harrison's father asked questions, clearly prepared beforehand and memorised, and took down the answers in a little notebook. 

As they stood to leave, Jon remembered the thing he had been meaning to say. "Oh, Harrison, before you go." Jon opened the bottom drawer of his desk and pulled out the notebook Georgie had sent him last week. "This was my campaign notebook from uni. I will want it back, but if you want to you can borrow it." 

Harrison stared at it, eyes wide, wringing his hands together. "Really?" 

"Really. It's quite old so the rules need updating, but it's got all of my favourite campaigns in it. Feel free to take it and play some. I'm sure you'll do a better job than I did." 

Harrison's dad nudged him. "Go on."

Harrison took it, handling it very carefully, stroking along the cover. 

"Thank you." Harrison carefully opened the cover and shuffled some of the papers Jon had tucked into the front years ago.

"That was really kind of you, thank you." His dad nodded at Jon. 

Jon waved it away. "It's no trouble. A friend found it when she was clearing some of her stuff. I haven't touched it in years." 

Harrison bounced slightly on the balls of his feet and showed his dad one of the pages. Jon knew it was one with a quick sketch he had done once of one of his characters, a small rushed scribble more than an actual piece of art. He'd been proud at the time, but he'd never had a chance to finish it. 

He exchanged quick goodbyes with Harrison's dad and the pair left, with Harrison showing his dad more of the pages. 

Jon sighed and checked the clock. Only another hour to go. 

The rest of the evening went in a bit of a blur. Jon accidentally Knew things about several of the people he met, but did his best to bury the urge to learn more. Even Megan's parents, Ms Ainsley and Mr Connor, seemed confused when he congratulated them on their brand new kittens. Apparently neither of them had been aware their cat was pregnant. 

After his final meeting had finished, Jon considered curling up and falling asleep at his desk, but Martin had promised to have dinner ready by the time he got home. 

He sighed and stood, shooting Martin a quick text to let him know he was on his way back. As he walked to the car, he passed by a few people. Jon's concentration slipped slightly at one point, and he heard someone think  ' _poor man, he looks so tired_ ' as he passed them. 

By the time he reached the car park, Jon felt exhausted. He managed to keep his stumbling to a minimum as he walked, but as soon as he was sat in the drivers seat he crumpled against the steering wheel, desperately trying not to Listen as people said their goodbyes to friends or discussed the evenings events. Each time he heard his name he felt the tug in his stomach to know what they thought about him. 

_ 'A bit odd, isn't he?' _

_ 'His lessons are my favourites, he's so weird' _

_ 'His boyfriend is nice, we've met him a couple of times' _

_ 'His eyes are so creepy' _

_ 'I swear, he knows everything' _

Jon shook himself. "Come on, Jon. Be polite. Eavesdropping isn't polite."

He turned the key and started the car, pulling out of the car park. 

The Beholding didn't stop until he pulled into the narrow lane that lead to the cottage, and then the only thought that he could hear was  ' _I love him. God I hope I don't mess this up'._

Jon smiled. He liked hearing that thought. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we have the full names of all of the kids!!!  
> anna mitchell, colin wardell, and megan ainsley  
> (harrison's wasn't mentioned but it's trahern) 
> 
> cecily wardell has a fully fleshed backstory that might come up at some point, idk why i wrote it, but she's real fun 
> 
> if you're thinking that megan didn't get much of a role this chapter, just wait 
> 
> up next: it's helen time babey


	25. helen's ice cream delivery service

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> thank you to all the people who requested helen content, and also to that one person who requested helen ice cream dates, i cannot find your prompt now so i may have hallucinated it, but that's all fun and gucci and the exact reason why i no longer read prompts sleep deprived

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> slight warning:  
> harrison has a bit of a sensory overload in this chapter, it's very brief and easy to skip, but i just thought i should let people know beforehand

Colin pushed his bike until he was level with Harrison. "Are you going to the Halloween party?" 

Harrison glanced at him and raised his eyebrows. 

"There's a big one in the village hall. It's really fun, there's apple bobbing and fireworks and stuff. My mum always takes food for the buffet, and she sets up a table where kids can decorate cookies. It's a whole thing." 

"Do people dress up?" 

"There's a costume contest every year." Megan called. "Anna won last year." 

Anna laughed. "I was a fairy. I spent hours glueing sequins onto these awful wings I made, only for Colin to break them as soon as I won."

"How did I know they weren't hug proof?" 

"You should've guessed when I went 'careful, they're fragile'. Besides, I'm not putting in that much effort this year." 

Harrison hummed, considering it. A halloween party could be fun. Usually, his dad would find a movie for them to watch, something boring and terrible that they wouldn't mind being interrupted by trick or treaters. "Is it loud?" 

"There's music, but we often end up sitting outside anyway." Colin said. "We like to go out early enough that we get good seats for the fireworks." 

"I hate the sounds of fireworks so I always wear headphones and listen to music while they're going, so if you want you can join me in that." 

Harrison nodded, giving Megan a small smile. 

They finally reached the top of the hill. Colin led them through the gap in the hedge and down an alley so narrow they had to walk single file. Eventually it opened out into a wide park, with benches and trees with yellowing leaves. A colourful play area sat a short way back down the hill, with a small cluster of parents watching their children swarm all over the climbing frame. 

An ice cream truck was parked on the small car park, clearly attempting to cash in on the last good weather of year. 

Megan led them over to one of the benches with a good view down the hill. She dumped her bike on the ground next to the, with Anna and Colin following suit. Harrison placed his bike a little more gently, careful to not damage it. 

Anna and Colin claimed one side of the bench, so Harrison sat next to Megan. 

They quickly fell into a conversation about halloween costumes, which Harrison found easy enough to tune out. He took out his sketchbook and started to draw a fairy, all loopy lines and pastel colours. The fairy was easy enough, but the wings proved a challenge. Harrison couldn't decide if they should be classic fairy wings or more insect-like. Frustrated, he closed his sketchbook and looked around the park. 

Families were milling about the place, with parents wandering along the leaf covered paths, small children with bright wellington boots in tow. A few other teenagers were scattered about, chattering loudly to each other.

Under one of the trees stood a woman. She had dark, curly hair and she was dressed shockingly formally for a trip to the park, with a pencil skirt and an bright white blouse. 

When she saw Harrison looking at her, she grinned and started to walk towards them. 

Harrison nudged Megan. She glanced at him, then looked where he pointed. 

"Oh shit." 

"What?" Colin looked up. "Ohh, oh no." 

"Hey kids!" The woman dropped down onto the bench next to Megan. 

"Helen." Megan leant in front of Harrison slightly. "What are you doing here?" 

"Enjoying the sights." She waved around them. "This really is a lovely time of year."

"You know what I meant." Megan crossed her arms. 

"Oh I'm not the one who knows everything, sweetie. But if you're asking what I'm doing in Scotland, then let's just say Jon asked me to keep my ears open." She winked. "And my eyes, of course."

Anna frowned. "What for?" 

"He said he'd spotted an old friend in town and he was wondering if they were going to be dropping by to say hello." 

"Who?" Colin leant forward. "Did he say who it was?"

"Would anyone like some ice cream?" Helen propped her chin on her hand. "I'm craving some ice cream." 

Megan pulled a face. "It's October." 

"So? There's still an ice cream truck. What about you?" She looked at Harrison, pointing one slender finger at him. "Would you like some ice cream?"

Harrison blinked at her and shrugged, feeling very much like this woman meant trouble. Colin sighed. "If we say yes to the ice cream will you tell us about the person you're looking for?" 

"I'm surprised Jon hasn't told you himself to be honest." She stood from the table, detangling her too long limbs from the bench, then set off in the direction of the ice cream truck. 

The group all shared a look.

"Who is that?" Harrison looked at Colin. 

"Her name is Helen. She knows Mr Sims, that's the Jon that she's talking about. Last time we saw her..." He trailed off, glancing at the girls. 

"It got weird." Anna said. "Mr Sims had to do a lot of damage control." 

Harrison frowned. "What does that mean?" 

"It means avoid her if you can." Colin shook his head. "She's friendly as far as we can tell, but I don't think Mr Sims agrees." 

"Guys." Megan scratched a line along the grain of the wooden table with her nail. "If Mr Sims has asked Helen to keep an eye out for someone..." She trailed off. 

Harrison fidgeted with his hands. "Is that person dangerous?" 

Megan gave him a serious look. "Being honest, probably."

Colin leant over the table. "There's a lot of stuff going on that we don't fully understand, but just know that if Mr Sims ever tells you to avoid a certain place or person, it's usually for a good reason."

"Is he in a gang?"

Colin laughed. "Not a gang. To be honest, I don't think he has enough friends to start a gang. And he couldn't hurt a fly."

Anna put a hand on Colin's arm. "And if you're curious, he probably would tell you about the scars. He told us easily enough."

"I wouldn't say his answers were crystal clear," Megan smiled. "but they were answers." 

"Jon? Answering questions vaguely? Never." Helen appeared back beside the bench. "Here. Ice cream." 

She was somehow balancing five ice cream cones in her hands. Thin rivulets of melting ice cream ran down the edges of each of them. "Go on, take them!" She gestured with the cones. The swirls tilted a little alarmingly with the motion. 

Anna reached out and took two of the cones, passing one to Colin. Megan passed Harrison one and took one for herself. Free from her cargo, Helen perched next to Megan again. 

"So," She took a lick from her cone. "How is school?" 

"Seriously?" Megan asked, a little incredulous. "You're asking about school?" 

"What, do you not go to school? Are you too old? Too young?" Helen cocked her head. "Age is a very confusing thing. I'm glad I don't have to worry about that anymore."

Something about Helen's voice, either the amusement in her tone or the fact that it seemed far more echoey than an outdoor conversation should permit, made Harrison's skin crawl. He shrank back a little, leaning away from her end of the table. 

"Besides, asking about Jon is getting boring. He doesn't change as quickly as he used to. He's gotten dull." 

Colin frowned and liked melted ice cream off his finger. "What does that mean?"

"Oh you should've seen him back in the day. Never sat still, always chasing after danger. Far more entertaining. Now he wears cardigans and goes on calming walks. Well, he's always worn cardigans, but now they look less like he's playing dress up and more like he's actually an old man. And he's not even that old!" She scoffed and took another link of her ice cream. "To be honest, I'm almost glad Jude has decided to stir up trouble, it might make him interesting again."

Anna perked up. "Jude? Is that who he's asked you to look for?" 

Helen put a hand over her mouth. The movement was exaggerated and it took far too long for her fingers to reach her face. "Whoopsie! How terribly clumsy of me, spilling that little factoid for you." 

Harrison shifted. He wanted to rub his hands together, try to get off some of the feeling of syrupy amusement that Helen seemed ooze, but he couldn't, not holding the ice cream. 

Helen was still talking, but Harrison couldn't pay attention. He tried to focus on something, just one thing instead of everything at once, but there was just so much. The sounds of the ice cream van, the cold and slightly damp surface of the bench, the crowds, Helen still _talking_ , the gentle smell of smoke. 

There was a gentle pressure against his hand, gradually easing. Harrison glanced up to see Colin carefully taking his cone out of his hand. A small puddle of melted ice cream sat on top of the table, and Harrison realised he'd been holding it at a sharp angle. He stared at it as Anna took out a tissue and wiped it up, saying something to Helen. 

"And this Jude person, is she one of, you know?"

"The gang? The band? Our little family? In a way, yes, but I don't usually engage with her neck of the woods. Those Desolation types are so fussy." Helen laughed. "Oh dear, there I go again. Saying things I wasn't meant to. Silly old me." She clapped her hands. She had finished her ice cream. "I really should be off. Jon will be ever so upset with me if I keep up my blabber-mouthing. Toodleoo all." She stood and went to walk away. 

"Wait." The word was out before Harrison realised it had formed. He stared up at her. With the light of the sky behind her, her hair looked almost technicolour at the edges. 

"Yes sweetie?" 

"Jude. Is she-" He tried to think back to the woman he had seen outside the school. "Does she have a tattoo?"

Her face split into a grin that was far too wide for her face, showing rows of perfect white teeth, too many for her mouth. "Someone's been paying attention. Gold star for you!" 

With that, Helen swivelled and set off across the park. Harrison blinked trying to clear the image of her smile from his mind. 

Colin held out his half melted ice cream. "Come on. I don't really feel like being here now, let's go back to the cafe." 

Anna stood, holding out another tissue for Harrison to clean his sticky fingers on. Megan turned on the bench and gave Harrison a long look. "How did you know? About the tattoo?" 

Harrison fidgeted. "I, uh. I saw her. Outside the school." 

"Did she do anything?" 

Harrison shook his head. "Mr Sims was there. He seemed angry." 

Colin made a small, incomplete noise. "Yeah. I imagine he did. You're sure there was nothing weird? Anything at all." 

"I mean..." Harrison felt the familiar doubt in the back of his mind that Colin wouldn't believe him, that he would hear what Harrison had to say and shrug it off as delusions or imagination. But this was Colin, he reminded himself, and Anna and Megan. His friends. "I could smell smoke." 

"Smoke." Anna looked at him, a little sharply. "You're certain?" 

There it was, the dismissal. No, Anna was just checking, just making sure. 

"Yeah, smoke." 

Megan cursed quietly. 

"What, what's so bad about smelling smoke?" Plenty of things, Harrison knew that. Sometimes you could be burning your toast, sometimes you could've left your hair straighteners on, sometimes your whole house could be on fire and it could burn away everything inside until all that was left was- 

The smell of smoke. 

"If what Helen said is true, Jude could be part of something really bad." Megan said, messing with the cuff of her jacket. 

"What can we do?"

Colin shook his head. "Until Mr Sims says differently, nothing. But," He leant forward, narrowing the gap between them. "if you see her again, you need to tell Mr Sims as soon as possible. Understand?"

Harrison nodded. 

"Good. Now come on, let's go back to the cafe and see if this afternoon is salvageable in any way." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> is that a hint of harrison's backstory i see? oh goodness me, how terribly exciting 
> 
> i'm very tired, can you tell??
> 
> i made a blanket fort today bc i'm an adult and no one can tell me not to 
> 
> up next: the halloween chapter (ft validation for the fans of the mechs and colin's mum)


	26. halloween pt 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ty to all the people who requested mechs content, halloween content, colin's mum, and general mischief

"How do I look?" 

Martin glanced up at Jon and burst into laughter. 

"What?" Jon asked, indignant. "Is it really that bad?"

"No, you look great." Martin stood up from the coffee table and crossed to where Jon was standing. "Very handsome."

"Then why did you laugh?" Jon put his hands on Martin's chest but didn't push him away as Martin's hands found his waist and tugged him close. 

"It's just very cute." He smiled. "You look adorable." 

Jon huffed slightly, trying to look put upon and failing miserably. He shook his head, and the pipe cleaner antennas on his head wobbled, sending Martin into another fit of giggles. 

"Stop!" Jon swatted at his arm. "I'm not laughing at you!"

Martin gasped in mock offence. "Is there something wrong with my outfit?" 

"You look like a charity shop had a child with an Ikea lighting section." He laughed. "But in the best way. Like if that child grew up and became a very attractive lamp."

Martin ducked his head, burying it in the crook of Jon's neck. "Why do I ever let you speak to Georgie?"

"Because she has good costume ideas?"

"I hate you. You're a demon." Martin planted a kiss just under his ear, making Jon giggle. 

"No, I'm a moth." 

Martin's hand found the antenna on Jon's head and gave one a gentle tug. "My moth. My handsome moth."

"You haven't even been drinking and you're already like this. I'm in for a long night aren't I?" 

"I promise I won't have too much." He detangled himself from Jon, keeping his hands on his waist. "Now come on, let's go and be a gross, domestic couple who wears matching costumes and goes to parties with our work colleagues."

Jon smiled up at him and straightened Martin's jacket. "I can't think of anything I would like more." 

-

Megan knew she was going to get too warm in the jumper, but it was worth it. Anna had leant it to her with the promise that it would look better on her anyway, and between that and scrounging a red skirt off her cousin, Megan had put together a fairly passable Velma costume. 

She separated off from her parents, heading through the crowd killing about outside in pursuit of her friends. She quickly spotted them. 

Colin was sat sideways on a bench with Anna tracing lines onto his face with an eyeliner pencil. 

"Hey Megan!" Colin waved at her. 

"Sit still or you'll smudge it!" Anna batted his hand down. "I don't want to deal with you complaining all night." 

He stuck his tongue out at her. She swiped at it with the eyeliner, causing him to duck backwards and almost fall off the bench. Anna caught him and cackled. He grinned down at her. 

"I like Scooby Doo." Harrison's voice pulled her attention away from the others antics. 

"Thanks!" She gestured to his costume, a long purple robe with yellow stars all over it. "I like wizards." 

He gave her a shy smile and ducked his head. "Thank you. My dad helped me make it." 

"It's very good. Love the hat." 

Anna had finally calmed down enough to finish Colin's makeup, so they packed up and headed inside. Megan knew that they looked like a bizarre collection, with her own thrown together costume, Harrison's well thought out, but still obviously homemade wizard robes, Anna's carefully crafted Mary Poppins, and whatever the hell Harrison was wearing. Megan was almost scared to count the number of belts he had on. 

The village hall was decked out in orange and black streamers, with paper ghosts hanging from the ceiling. A temporary dj station took up one corner of the hall, and it's technicolour lights sent patters across the floor. 

"Hey, look, there's Mr Sims!" Anna pointed to wear Mr Sims and Martin were stood, awkwardly leaning against the wall. Mr Sims was wearing a large green jumper, probably Martin's, and a thick skirt. On his head sat a pair of pipe cleaner antennae. Over his shoulders he had a cape with a painted-on pattern. As he turned, Megan realised the pattern was like the markings on the wings of a moth, which explained the lampshade Martin was wearing on his head, along with the suit jacket in the same faded yellow floral fabric as the lampshade. It was both hideous and slightly genius. They were matching in a slightly awful, washed out way. It was endearing. 

"Should we go say hi?" Colin asked. 

"I don't see why not." Megan started wandering towards them. "Harrison, have you met Martin yet?" He shook his head. "Don't worry, he's lovely. I work with him and the others have met him a few times." 

As they drew closer, Harrison trailed behind Anna slightly, but stayed with them. 

Martin glanced up at their approach, but Mr Sims was facing the other way, messing with something on his phone. 

"Is that a Jonny d'Ville costume?" Martin asked excitedly. 

Mr Sims flinched so hard he nearly knocked off his antennae. He span around and stared at Colin, wide eyed. 

"Wait, is this that band you like?" Anna asked. "What are they called? The Mechanics?" 

"The Mechanisms." Colin a told her. "And yeah!" He bounced on his toes and shot finger guns at Martin. 

"Amazing!" Martin looked over the moon. "I never thought I'd meet another Mechs fan all the way out here!"

"Me neither! I've tried to get these guys into them but they just don't get it, you know?" 

"Oh trust me, I've been there." 

Mr Sims turned his stare to Martin. "You're a Mechs fan?" 

"Yeah, I thought you knew."

Mr Sims floundered for a moment. "Well, I- I thought it would've come up before now, you know, with the whole-" He waved his hand a little helplessly. "You know." 

Martin frowned. "I really don't." He said slowly. "Besides, how have you heard of the Mechs?" 

Mr Sims blinked at him, once, twice, them seemed to get both more relaxed and way, way more tense. "Uh, Georgie was a fan." 

"Really? Why have you never told me that before?"

"How was I supposed to know you liked them?" 

"You know everything." Martin said matter-of-factly. "And I haven't exactly been subtle, I used to have a Mechs pin on my bag. I listened to them in the office all the time." 

"You did?" Mr Sims frowned. Realisation seemed to hit him a moment later. "Oh, you did."

Martin frowned at him for a moment before turning his attention back to Colin. "How did you get into them?" 

"My mum! She was a fan when she was younger. She met my dad at one of their shows." 

Mr Sims gave him an incredulous look. "Really?" 

"Yeah! She went to Oxford for a year at the same time the band was together. She went to one of the shows and met my dad." Colin shrugged. "She stayed a fan after she had me, so she used to play me the songs when I was little." 

Mr Sims was looking around the room. He seemed to spot what he was looking for and smiled. Megan turned to see Cecily, Colin's mum, wave at them, a slightly awkward smile on her face. 

Mr Sims shot her a similar smile, then took Martin's glass out of his hand. "I'm going to get some more drinks." 

"Oh, okay." Martin looked at him. "Want company?" 

"No, no, I'll be okay. You keep talking about music, I'll be back soon." 

"O-okay." Martin looked confused as Mr Sims took off towards Cecily. "Huh. Anyway," He shook it off and turned back to Colin. "favourite album?" 

-

"So," Jon came to stand next to wear Miss Wardell was leaning against the wall. "The Mechs, huh?" 

She winced. "Sorry."

"It's okay." He shook his head. "It was only a matter of time." 

"I suppose so." She smiled. "The band was actually good."

"So I've heard." He gave her a wry smile. "Miss Wardell, I'm sorry if my position as your sons teacher makes you uncomfortable." 

"Call me Cecily. And why would it?" 

"I don't think most people view 'I was in a space pirate cabaret in uni' as the merit of a sane person who should be teaching children, regardless of whether they were fans of the band." 

Cecily laughed. "Look, I'm still listening to the same space pirate cabaret I listened to in uni, so I can hardly judge." She grinned at him. "I guess it just reminds me of the good old days." 

"God that makes me feel old." She laughed again as Jon sighed. "Did you really meet Colin's father at one of the shows?"

"Yep." Cecily looked over at where Colin was standing holding his phone out to Harrison and pointing to the screen. "He reminds me of him a lot." She went quiet for a moment, clearly contemplating something before her eyes widened and she pushed off the wall to stand in front of Jon, hands out. "Oh god, he wasn't one of the band members-"

"Oh no, I didn't think-"

"I'm not one of those fans-"

"We weren't that sort of band."

She grimaced. "I promise I'm not about to spring on you that Colin is your son, that would be super weird. I'm so sorry."

Jon laughed. "I wasn't worried about that. Although, he is a good kid and anyone should be proud to call him their son." 

Cecily blushed with pride. "I am proud. Don't know about his dad, but I couldn't be more happy about Colin." 

Jon hummed and glanced over at where Martin was stood, laughing about something one of the kids had said. 

"We met once, you know?"

"Really?" Jon looked back at Cecily. "I'm sorry, I don't remember."

"I don't think you would. It was after one of the shows. You'd just come off stage and you were heading towards the bar. I stopped you and said hey, told you I liked the show. I think I caught you off guard. You were quite awkward, it was actually super sweet." 

Jon chuckled. "Well, thank you. I'm sorry, I wish I could say I remember-"

"Oh no, don't worry, it's completely fine. It was one passing hello one night fifteen years ago, it wasn't exactly memorable." 

"Right." Fifteen years. Jon felt quite tired thinking about that fact. 

"And hey," Cecily bumped his shoulder. "I promise I won't tell Colin who you are."

"Oh, he's a smart kid," Jon shook his head. "I give it ten minutes until he's worked it out for himself." 

She made a small, happy sound. Jon looked back up to see Martin looking at him, an inscrutable look on his face. Jon gave him a quick thumbs up. Martin apparently took that as a signal to come over, because he split away from where the kids were huddled around Colin's phone and set off across the hall towards them. 

"Uh, Martin also doesn't know." 

Cecily glanced at him, then looked over at Martin. "Your secrets safe with me, d'Ville." 

Jon just managed to muffle his snort in time for Martin to sidle up next to them and wrap an arm around his waist. "Hey you."

"Hey." Martin kissed his cheek. "What are you up to?" 

"Getting drinks." 

"Really? You were gone a while, I was getting worried."

"I ran into Cecily. Martin, this is Colin's mum." He gestured at Cecily who waved. 

"Hi, it's nice to meet you."

"Hi." Martin relaxed against Jon and held out his hand for her to shake. "I'm Martin." 

"Yeah, Jonny said." 

Jon flinched. "It's, ah, it's just Jon."

"Oh sorry!" She raised her hands. "Sorry, I just- Ah, my bad." 

"No trouble." 

"Maybe you should go by Jonny? It suits you." Martin's arm tightened around him slightly, giving him a quick squeeze. "I like it."

 _Oh, if only you knew,_ Jon thought. "Once upon a time, perhaps. But I like Jon more now."

"If you say so." 

"Red alert." Cecily muttered. Jon glanced over at where the kids were huddled to see them all gaping at him. 

"Ah. There goes that then." 

"There goes what?" Martin looked around the room. "What happened?"

"Martin, you know how you think Jonny suits me? Yeah, about that."

-

"The Mechs is a band, they're so good. They did a bunch of concept albums, they all have stories with them. But all the stories are based off actual legends. Like, The Bifrost Incident is norse mythology on a train in space." Harrison blinked, raising his eyebrows. Colin pressed on. "But the band members are all characters, so they all have back stories and they sometimes show up in songs as themselves. I'm dressed as Jonny d'Ville, he's essentially the narrator." Colin pulled out his phone and went to Youtube. 

"There's a whole bunch of members, they all sort of come and go a lot." Martin added. "The backstories are all super interesting as well, they're all fully fleshed out characters."

"You have to sort of give it a moment with their music. Don't dismiss it straight away." Colin held out his phone and let the clip play. 

Anna leant over his shoulder to get a better view of the screen. "The amount of times I've seen this video-"

"Shush." 

Martin slipped away, heading towards Mr Sims. 

On screen, the band was doing the sound checks, bantering a bit to and fro with the audience. 

Harrison pointed at one of them. "Is that him?" 

"Yeah." Colin pointed to his costume. "I did a pretty good job, didn't I?" 

Harrison nodded. The brown waistcoat was slightly the wrong shade, but it was hardly noticeable. Anna had done a good job in getting the eyeliner right, and the goggles pushing Colin's curls back were almost identical. Harrison turned his attention back to the screen.

"He looks like Mr Sims." 

Colin laughed. "Yeah I guess he-" He froze, staring at the screen. "Wait. Wait, what?" 

"Him." Harrison pointed to where Jonny d'Ville was stood chatting to another band member. 

"Wait." Colin said again. "No way." 

"What?" 

"No fucking way." Colin skipped forward in the video, finding a point where d'Ville was stood narrating something. "Oh my god." 

The voice coming out of the speakers was Mr Sims'.

Megan gasped. "Get out. It can't be, right? Right? I mean, what are the odds?" 

"Pretty slim. Holy fuck." Anna leant back off Colin's shoulder. "This is incredible." 

"Are you okay?" Harrison poked Colin's arm gently. He was stood motionless, staring down at the screen. Slowly, he raised his head and met Harrison's eyes. 

"Jonny d'Ville has marked my history papers." 

Anna snorted. "Jonny d'Ville saved your life."

Harrison looked at her a little sharply, but his question was cut off by Colin letting out a verbal keysmash. 

"Jonny d'Ville knows my darkest secrets. Oh god, Jonny d'Ville knows everything." 

"What?" Harrison felt a bit lost. 

"Mr Sims knows everything, you get used to it." 

"Jonny d'Ville is Mr Sims." Colin looked like he wanted to cry and laugh. "I hate my life. How have I not noticed until now?" 

"If you payed more attention in class maybe you would've." 

"Would it be Jonny d'Ville is Mr Sims or Mr Sims is Jonny d'Ville?" Megan mused. 

"Either way, our history teacher used to be in a themed band." 

Harrison looked over to where Mr Sims was leaning against Martin, laughing as Martin gaped at him. Colin's mother stood next to them, smothering her laughter behind her hands. 

"My mum." Colin said. "My mum met Mr Sims when he was in uni. My mum went to uni with Mr Sims." 

"This is truly a night of revelations." Anna wrapped her arm around Colin's shoulders. "You should go sit down, you look like you're about to pass out."

"I feel like I've died and gone to heaven. Or maybe hell. Somewhere that isn't here." 

Harrison looked around for a free table. As he looked past the door to the garden at the back of the village hall, his eyes caught on a familiar figure ducking out of the door. She was wearing a jacket, but Harrison knew that if she took it off, he would see the edges of a tattoo peaking out from under her tank top. 

"Guys."

"I just can't believe it. Do we ask him about it?" Megan was laughing. 

"Guys." 

"I mean, yeah?" Anna cut back. "This is nowhere near the weirdest thing on the list. He's Mr Sims, if anything this is the most boring thing we've ever learned about him."

"Guys!" 

Harrison finally cut through their chatter. They all turned to look at him. 

"Jude is here." 

-

"I cannot believe that you never told me. I'm heart broken right now. Who even are you?" Martin dropped his forehead into Jon's shoulder, his makeshift hat abandoned on the table next to him. "I don't think I know you anymore." 

Jon laughed and pushed at his hair. "I'm sorry! I didn't realise you liked the band and it wasn't exactly something I was willing to talk about back in the archives. It was hard enough after Tim found out when we worked in research together." 

"You're killing me. Tim knew?" 

"It was entirely accidental that he found out. I swore him to secrecy." 

"I'm dead. Rest in peace, here lies Martin K Blackwood." 

"There's no K!"

"Yeah well, you were in a space pirate cabaret, so maybe I can have a middle name. Have you thought about that?" Martin's words had no bite behind them, and Jon could feel him smiling into Jon's shoulder. 

"Okay, you can have a middle name."

"Thank you." 

Jon chuckled and opened his mouth to say something. 

_Danger._

Jon froze. The air suddenly felt too warm, the hair on his arms standing up. His stomach lurched. 

"Jon? You alright?" Martin pulled away slightly, turning Jon towards him. "What's going on?" 

"Somethings happening. The Eye, it-" He caught sight of the teens hurrying towards them. 

"Mr Sims!" Anna called, panting. "Mr Sims, Jude's here." 

Martin tensed, his arms going stiff around Jon. "What's the likelihood she's just here for the apple bobbing?" 

"We are never that lucky. I-" _Outside_ , the Eye whispered. "Outside. Somethings happening- The fireworks." Jon detangled himself from Martin's arms. "Martin, we have to get to the fireworks." 

Martin stepped back. "What is she doing?" 

"I don't know, there's too much going on for me to See." 

"Okay," Martin nodded, steeling himself. "Okay, let's go." 

Jon went to set off towards the garden when he realised the kids were all standing there expectantly. "Go home. We'll deal with this, just go home." 

"Absolutely not!" Megan said. "We are coming with you." 

"You can't stop us." Anna looked determined. 

Jon sighed, frustrated. "You don't understand, it's not safe."

"Neither was London." Anna was almost shouting. "I'm sorry Mr Sims, but we want to help." 

He looked between them. Even Harrison looked like he wouldn't back down, and he knew practically nothing about the situation. 

Martin tugged at his sleeve. "Jon, we have to go."

"Fine. Fine!" He threw up his hands. "Just don't get hurt. If I tell you to run, then run. Jude is dangerous. Don't go near her, don't trust her, and definitely don't touch her." He held up his burned hand to prove his point. "This is what she can do. Don't be idiots about this." 

Harrison's eyes widened at the sight of Jon's. 

"I thought you said that was hot wax?" Colin frowned. 

Jon grimaced. "Like I said, don't touch her. Now, we need to go and stop her. And then I need to have a few words with Helen about what she thinks an emergency is." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was going to be much longer, but i decided to split it into two parts  
> part 2 will be coming tomorrow!! 
> 
> ty to the murder club for helping me pick jmarts costumes, you absolute legends 
> 
> jon: martin i made a new friend!! are you proud of me???  
> martin: *dying bc everything he thinks he knows about jon is a lie* 
> 
> i can't think of anything amusing to put here beyond the fact that there is a halloween party happening in my building and they are currently blasting apple bottom jeans


	27. halloween pt 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the conclusion to yesterday's chapter

"Jon, I don't mean to jinx things, but this is seeming very quiet." 

Jon hated to agree, but Martin was right. The Eye was being frustratingly unhelpful. Nothing in the garden seemed amiss. Harrison said he had seen Jude, but Jon wasn't Seeing her anywhere nearby. There were too many people, too much noise and commotion for him to focus. Jude was doing a very good job of going unnoticed and it was driving Jon mad. 

"She's here, I know she is, it's just- I can't see her." 

"Okay, we'll keep looking." Martin nodded. "We should check the field, right? Where the fireworks are?" 

Jon took a deep breath. It wasn't a bad idea. "Right." 

Anna knew a shortcut round to the back of the field, so she led them away from the crowd and down a side road. It put them behind the field that the fireworks had been set up in, and it was simply work to climb over a broken part of the fence. The fireworks were set up in the middle of the field, and even from this distance, Jon could make out the bright colours of the boxes. He set off across the grass, his little party in tow. 

As they drew closer, the feeling of unease steadily grew. This wasn't going to end well. The Eye didn't need to tell Jon that. 

-

Harrison wasn't certain what was happening, but he knew it wasn't great. 

Mr Sims seemed extremely tense, and he kept shooting worried glances at the kids. Even Colin's usual enthusiasm had mellowed out significantly. He hadn't cracked a joke since they had found Mr Sims, not even to grill him about his past as a musician. It was disconcerting to see from Colin. Harrison hadn't known him for long, but he respected him a lot, even down to the way he seemed to get excited about everything. Compared to previous friends, all of the teens were good people. They were good people even without the comparison. 

Mr Sims was more confusing. Recent revelations aside, Harrison had never been able to work him out. People had roles that they filled, that was easy to understand, easy to categorise. But Mr Sims didn't seem to fit into any specific role. He was their teacher, sure, but he seemed to be more than that. He reminded Harrison a bit of Gandalf. Cryptic, strange, and balanced on the line between friend and mentor. 

Who, apparently, fought bad guys. 

They approached the stack of fireworks. Harrison wasn't the most savvy when it came to fireworks, but he knew abandoning them in the middle of a field wasn't the typical protocol. 

He was starting to wonder why there was no one out here when a shadow moved. 

Harrison felt sick. He had really hoped he had mistaken someone else for her, but there she was, hunched over the fireworks, messing with something. 

Suddenly, he caught a familiar smell on the breeze. 

Smoke. 

Harrison hated the smell of smoke. 

Mr Sims approached the woman, carefully keeping his distance.

"Hello Jude." 

She span around to face him. Her eyes roamed over them, taking in their halloween costumes with a vicious smirk. "Archivist. It's been a while. How's the hand?"

"What are you doing here?" 

She laughed. "Oh, you can do better than that. Or can you? Have you lost your touch, Archivist?"

Martin scoffed. "Shut up. Why are you here?" 

"Don't you start. Honestly, you're both so boring, I don't know why I bother." 

"Answer the question." Mr Sims took a step towards her. 

"Or what?"

He glared at her. 

"Oh this is too good, Archivist. You don't know, do you?" 

"Enough. Tell us what you're doing." It wasn't a question anymore. 

"Isn't it obvious? I'm here to burn down your precious little village. You took so much from us. You ruined everything. You destroyed our perfect world and now we are going to destroy yours. You're an idiot for thinking you could keep any of them safe from danger. You _are_ danger, Archivist. Death and destruction sticks to you. Wherever you go, you take so much suffering with you. You could almost serve The Desolation if you only appreciated your own talents for pain." She gasped, trying to stop the flow of words. "I'm here to take away this life that you've built and show you the beauty of the flames. Before this is over, you are going to beg the Lightless Flame for forgiveness." 

She went quiet, staggering backwards away from him. 

Harrison almost felt sorry for her. 

"Why hurt all these people?" Martin sounded broken. "If it's us you're angry at, why take it out on us?" 

"She knows I would survive. She knows that nothing she can do will hurt me physically, but I can still feel everyone else's pain." Mr Sims sighed. Martin's hand found his. "That's enough. The pain of loss." 

Mr Sims looked up at her.  The way Jude was staring at him, the look in her eyes... she was afraid. This woman who had just threatened to burn the entire village just for revenge was afraid of their bumbling, awkward history teacher. 

One glance at Mr Sims and Harrison understood why. 

In the dim light spilling across the field, Harrison thought he looked almost ethereal. Something about his demeanour had shifted. He wasn't Mr Sims anymore. The line of his shoulders was stronger, the way he held himself more upright and serious making Harrison think of the statues he had seen in museums of ancient heroes. Mr Sims wasn't like those heroes. He didn't stand eight feet tall and he want wielding a great legendary weapon. Instead, Mr Sims was burning with rage or pain or _something_.  


This was the Archivist. Harrison didn't know what that meant, but the way Jude had spat the word at Mr Sims was enough to understand that it meant something. Something bad. 

"Leave. Go back to wherever you came from. Don't come back to this village and don't bother me again." 

She laughed. It was empty of amusement. "You really think that would work? You're even more of an idiot than you seem." 

"It was an offer." Mr Sims sounded almost pitying. "I'm giving you an easy way out." 

"I came here to do a job. I won't fail." 

"Who asked you to come here? You made it clear last time we spoke that you never wanted to see me again, and I honoured that. Why seek me out? What changed?" 

"I guess the stakes changed. Didn't you hear? The world ended." 

"Ah. So this is about what I did to Magnus." 

"We had it good, Archivist. We were happy. Everyone was living the high life and then you came along and ruined it." 

Martin made a small noise. "He saved people." 

"He made it boring. Your fault for not predicting that people would want compensation, I guess." 

"So you're here to, what, turn this place into our own personal hell?" Martin was a little incredulous. 

"Isn't that what you did to everyone else?" 

A glance at the others told Harrison they didn't know what was happening either. He felt like he was missing a vital piece of information that would make this conversation make sense. 

"I had no choice." Mr Sims said. "You do. Tell me who else is after us."

"No." 

" **Tell me.** " 

Static filled Harrison's ears. He flinched back, jerking away from Mr Sims, away from The Archivist.

"No! You won't do that to me."

"Lukas tried to resist." Martin said. "I don't recommend it." 

"I am not that Forsaken idiot." Jude spat. "You cannot make me."

" **Tell me who you work for.** " 

She trashed, seemingly frozen in place, her limbs twisting as she tried to keep the information inside herself. The static built, a sizzling crescendo filling Harrison's entire being, stifling the air until he felt like he was drowning with the need to Know. He squeezed his eyes shut. It didn't help. The image of Jude fighting with the urge to speak still found his mind. 

Smoke filled his lungs, clawing it's way down his throat, dancing across his tongue as he tried to take a breath. Jude roared with a deep, primal fury.

Silence. 

The static faded. The sounds of the party drifted out across the field. Far away, someone was laughing. 

Harrison forced his eyes to open. 

Mr Sims was stood, staring at a scorched patch of grass. Martin was next to him, doubled over, heaving deep breaths. On the ground lay Megan, one hand clutching Anna's. Colin was curled up next to them, hands over his ears. 

Mr Sims turned. He looked so strangely human. 

"I'm so sorry." His voice was rough, as if he hadn't used it for a long time. "I'm so sorry."

His knees buckled. Martin caught him before he hit the ground. 

Colin slowly pushed himself up off the floor. He held out a hand to Harrison to help him up. 

"Mr Sims?" His voice was so quiet Harrison almost thought he imagined it. 

Mr Sims looked up at him. 

"Is she gone? Is it- is it safe?" 

He nodded. "I didn't want to do that. I didn't want- It shouldn't have ended like this." 

"Is it over?" Martin rubbed his shoulders. 

"I don't think so. She wasn't working alone, if she'd just told me-"

"Jon, stop. Dwelling won't do us any good." 

Mr Sims looked up at Martin, a heartbroken look on his face. 

Harrison brushed the dirt off himself. "She was magic, right?" 

Mr Sims swivelled his gaze onto him. "Not quite. I- it's a lot to explain. I think we best find somewhere to sit."

"Are you sure?" Martin frowned. "We could just go home, we don't have to do this now." 

"Harrison deserves the truth." Mr Sims addressed him. "I'll tell you everything you want to know. It's up to you, we can forget this ever happened or I can fill you in. It's not pleasant, but you deserve to know what happened tonight."

Harrison looked at the others. "Do you already know?"

Anna nodded. "We found out a while ago." 

Harrison nodded. He looked back at Mr Sims. "Okay. I want to know."

Mr Sims nodded and stood up straight. "I thought you would."

"I have one question first." 

He raised an eyebrow. 

"Are you a wizard?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> some clarification:   
> in this universe the apocalypse happened and they stopped jezebel mango but didn't smite any avatars 
> 
> i'm going to be taking a little break from this fic to focus on getting my next fic finished and published   
> it won't be long, but i want to divert my attention to that new story for a little while 
> 
> i'm going to be going back to prompts and stand-alone chapters for a little bit as well, just to actually leave time between plot lines   
> if you guys are interested, i might write the chapter where they explain everything to harrison, but i don't want it to be a repeat of things i've already written, so that's only a maybe


	28. groupchat pt 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> :)

**mystery gang**

**jonathan simps** :

harrison, i just found one of your dice in my bag, you okay for me to give it back tomorrow?

**yer a wizard harrison:**

yeah that's fine 

which one?

**jonathan simps:**

green and squiggly 

**yer a wizard harrison:**

oh i know which one, thanks 

**anna of green gables:**

BREAKING NEWS 

**paul megan:**

you said i could tell them!!

**anna of green gables:**

then tell them omg you're taking too long

**paul megan:**

georgie barker is coming 

she's going to be hanging out with mr sims and martin 

she's bringing melanie 

guys i'm literally loosing my mind 

**anna of green gables:**

all of you have to help me not embarrass myself in front of her 

either of them 

**paul megan:**

i kid you not this is the most excited i have ever been 

**jonathan simps:**

holy fuck that's amazing i cannot wait 

**yer a wizard harrison:**

woah!

**paul megan:**

martin just casually was like 'oh yeah georgie's coming to visit' as if that wasn't going to break me 

**anna of green gables:**

i am 

so shook 

like 

alsjslsjslsksdk

( **jonathan simps** changed **anna of green gables** name to **what the fangir** l)

**what the fangirl:**

don't out me like this

no one says fangirl anymore 

( **paul megan** changed **what the fangirl** s name to **what the simp** )

**what the simp:**

that's fair 

* * *

**mystery gang**

**paul megan:**

what's the vibes, team?

**jonathan simps:**

tired but thriving, gotta get that cash 

its a slow day if you guys want to come to the cafe

**what the simp:**

harrison and i are having a painting day, sorry 

**yer a wizard harrison:**

bob ross is our true friend /j

**what the simp:**

we have replaced you both with bob

**paul megan:**

i'm okay with being replaced by bob hes worth it 

**jonathan simps:**

guys i made this 

[image id: the 'well yes, but actually no' meme with the text 'harrison: *asks mr sims if he is a wizard* and 'mr sims:']

**what the simp:**

thanks i hate it 

**paul megan:**

i'm sorry i cannot cope with two simp jokes in this chat rn

( **paul megan** changed **jonathan simps** name to **[redacted]** )

**[redacted]:**

why did i loose name privileges?? 

**what the simp:**

ha!

it's bc i'm the favourite

**[redacted]:**

okay that's true 

* * *

**mystery gang**

**paul megan:**

martin update 

he's been looking at the website of an adoption centre all day 

**[redacted]:**

they're gonna have kids??? they're replacing us???

megan you can't just say that and vanish

i need you to tell me everything 

**what the simp:**

omg omg omg 

[image id: screenshot of the 'oh my god, okay it's happening, everybody stay calm' meme]

**paul megan:**

*animal adoption lol sorry 

**what the simp:**

holy fuck my heartbeat just went through the roof

**yer a wizard harrison:**

woah that was a lot 

**[redacted]:**

i'm not even kidding, i googled babysitting techniques

i needed to know how to care for the simswood baby

**yer a wizard harrison:**

simswood?

**[redacted]:**

yeah, mr sims and martin blackwood 

it was the only way i could come up with to combine their names 

**what the simp:**

can you even imagine them as parents?? ik we've joked about it but wow

dads of the year 

**yer a wizard harrison:**

they would be good parents 

**[redacted]:**

megan, are they good parents? you're the on one with first hand experience here

**paul megan:**

fuck you dude /j

* * *

**mystery gang**

**what the simp:**

mr sims covering that drama lesson:

[image id: the 'i'm gonna give the gays everything they want' meme]

**[redacted]:**

dude was definitely a theatre kid 

**paul megan:**

he absolutely was 

( **[redacted]** changed **paul megan'** s name to **damned spot** )

**damned spot:**

you're still not getting name privileges back 

**[redacted]:**

that is valid, i'll allow it

* * *

**mystery gang**

**yer a wizard harrison :**

hey quick question, if i became an avatar of the slaughter you guys would still be my friends, right? /j

**what the simp:**

yeah /g

why?

**yer a wizard harrison:**

bc i'm getting really close to fighting my relatives 

if one more person says they miss my long hair then i am not responsible for what i do 

**[redacted]:**

yikes 

i'm so sorry dude that sounds awful /g

**what the simp:**

omg i'm so sorry

**yer a wizard harrison:**

catch me going back to wales with a knife 

**damned spot** : 

you want company? i can offer no knives, but i did once beat colin in an arm wrestle

**[redacted]:**

she did, it was low-key scary 

**yer a wizard harrison:**

would mr sims smite them all if i asked? 

**[redacted]:**

jonathan sims: smiting transphobes since whenever the fuck he was born, idk dudes a million years old 

**damned spot:**

he's 33

**[redacted]:**

he's whAT???????

* * *

**damned spot** to **yer a wizard harrison**

**damned spot:**

if you need to vent about your family you can 

i am here to listen 

**yer a wizard harrison:**

thank you 

that means a lot

**damned spot:**

anytime dude 

you're our friend, we care about you /p

**yer a wizard harrison:**

i care about you guys too /p

* * *

**mystery gang**

**what the simp:**

[video: Colin sprawled on anna's bed, 'Blood and Whiskey' by The Mechanisms is quietly playing in the background. The video slowly zooms in on his face as he sings along to the words, not noticing that he is being filmed as he scrolls on his phone. As the song picks up speed he starts doing a little wiggle dance, still laying on the bed. Anna starts giggling in the background, causing him to glance over and finally see the camera. His shouts of protest are cut off by the video ending.]

**[redacted]:**

BETRAYAL 

SHE INVITES ME TO HANG OUT AND BETRAYS MY TRUST 

FIRST SHE STEALS MY JUMPER 

AND NOW THIS?????

**damned spot:**

lol i love it 

**yer a a wizard harrison:**

that was incredible 

**damned spot** : 

saving that 

**[redacted]:**

you're all the worst /j

[image: a blurry photo of Anna sat at the desk in her bedroom holding up peace signs at the camera, wearing one of Colin's hoodies] 

Wanted: This Woman 

for crimes against her loving friends 

dead or alive, just arrest the bitch

* * *

**what the simp** to **[redacted]**

**what the simp:**

hey, you aren't actually mad about the video, right? 

i didn't want to make you uncomfortable 

**[redacted]:**

nah it's all chill, you're good

it was funny 

**what the simp:**

okay just making sure 

**[redacted]:**

i had a lot of fun today :)

**what the simp:**

me too :)

we should hang out more often 

**[redacted]:**

i'd like that

* * *

**mystery gang**

**yer a wizard harrison:**

guys, can i ask a question 

**[redacted]:**

ya go for it 

**yer a wizard harrison:**

you know how mr sims takes 'statements' 

**damned spot:**

yeah?

**yer a wizard harrison:**

if i asked him, do you think he would let me give a statement?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> its been a while, but ive written a few more heavy things recently so i thought this would be fun!


	29. Statement of Harrison Trahern

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> yeah i know i'm the worst

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cw//   
> \- character death   
> \- fire   
> \- divorce/toxic family dynamics   
> \- panic attacks

[CLICK]

[QUIET SOUNDS OF A CLOCK. THE ARCHIVIST TAKES A DEEP BREATH]

**Archivist**

Are you sure you want to do this?

**Harrison**

Yes. I think I have to. 

**Archivist**

I cannot promise that this will be cathartic. More likely than not, it won't help. 

**Harrison**

Not talking about it isn't helping either. 

[A LONG PAUSE. THE ARCHIVIST SIGHS] 

**Archivist**

If you're sure. 

[SOUND OF MOVEMENT]

Very well. Statement of Harrison Trahern regarding...

**Harrison**

The reason my dad and I moved to Scotland. 

**Archivist**

Recorded direct from subject. 

Statement begins 

[A PAUSE. HARRISON TAKES A DEEP BREATH]

**Harrison**

When I was eight my parents split up. They never told me why, so I ended up blaming myself. Rationally, I knew I wasn't the reason, but it's hard to make sense of it when you're small. All I knew was that my dad and I moved in with my grandfather. I heard them talking sometimes, when they thought I was in bed. Mostly about Mum. I don't think my Grandpa liked her much. Not sure if my dad did either by the end. 

My grandpa had this small house in the mountains. It was in one of those old Welsh slate mining villages right up in Snowdonia, the kind that's been there for hundreds of years. It wasn't really that much different from living here, only everyone spoke Welsh. My grandpa's house was on the outskirts of the village. There was this tiny little stream in the back garden, and you could sometimes see the old steam train running through the valley. My grandpa would take me up to the top of the hill sometimes and you could see for miles. All the way to Snowdon on a clear day. It felt like living in a fairytale. He'd sit me down on one of the rocks and tell me stories about the valley. Old myths and legends, mostly. I don't think any of them were true, but still. 

Living with him was nice. He would let me read all of his old books. He was a painter, he used to make illustrations for children's novels, and he taught me how to draw. We'd sit for hours, just the two of us, sketching away in the shed just off the house he'd converted into a studio. He never expected me to talk, but if I wanted to then he would listen. He'd sit in silence while I told him about the things I'd been reading. He never made a sound, but you always knew he was listening. He'd paint while I talked. We both had fun, I think. He didn't have many friends, but then neither did I. 

I could see his shed from my window, so I knew he painted into the night sometimes. Watercolours mostly, I think, but he had a lot of oil paints as well. He never let me touch those, said I might end up hurting myself. Apparently they're toxic, you see. And flammable. 

When I was fourteen my mother showed up again. I'd seen her a few times since they'd split up, but not regularly. Not enough to recognise her at first. I've always looked more like my dad, so I suppose I'd just forgotten her face. Not that that mattered. She was different. I think my dad was scared of her. She didn't shout, I don't know if she'd ever shouted, she just smiled at him and told him that she'd missed us. She said she wanted to give us a chance to be a family again, to fix the wrongs from the past. Dad told her to get out. She laughed at that, I think. She said there was something coming. Said she 'didn't _want_ us to get hurt' Just like that. Emphasis on the want. Like it was an inevitability or something. My mother looked me in the eye and said I would always have a place with her and her new family, so long as I was willing to let go. My grandfather threatened to call the police. She left after that. 

That night my dad sat me down and told me that if she ever approached me that I should never go with her. No matter what promises she made. He made me swear it, made me promise that I would walk away. In English and Welsh. That's how I knew he was serious. I went to bed but I couldn't fall asleep. I wanted to know what they had been talking about and it was bothering me. Eventually I gave up trying to sleep and I went to my window. The light was on in Grandpa's shed. I could see his silhouette through the window. I don't know what it was about knowing he was painting. but seeing him was comforting. I pulled up my chair to the window and just watched his silhouette. I must've fallen asleep at some point. 

I don't remember when I woke up. All I know is that my dad was shouting and the world was too loud. It was warm too, like the sort of heat that you feel when you stand too close to a campfire. It wasn't unbearable. It almost felt nice. But the sound wasn't. I could hear my dad shouting and the alarm going off. The smell was awful too. The smoke was all in my lungs and I could taste it 

[SOUND OF SHIFTING] 

It was overwhelming. I don't know how I ended up outside, but then I was in the road. All the neighbours were out on the street, there was too much noise, I couldn't see or speak. They were too close to me and I hated it. My dad was there, he was telling them to get back, but he sounded so scared. By the time the fire trucks got there, I don't think there was much of the house left to save. Old houses are like that, they didn't have the same safety precautions. 

I remember the doctors telling my dad about my grandfather. I hadn't seen him cry before. It scared me. I didn't know how to help him, but I wanted to. My grandfather had known how to make people feel better. 

I think he needed to get out of the village. Everyone felt so sorry for us all the time, it felt like we couldn't escape their cheap sympathy. We couldn't go anywhere without someone telling us how much they missed him as if they were the ones who had lost him and not us. He was my grandfather but they were the ones who were allowed to be sad. I had to be 'tough' and hold it together for my dad, but they all got to mourn. I don't know why he picked Scotland, but I guess being in Wales was too much for him. 

It helped to get away. I feel better, and I think my dad does too. But then at Halloween, with that woman, I started thinking more about my mother. About how the way that woman smiled was so much like she had the last time I saw her. When you told us about the Entities, things started making sense. She was one of them, wasn't she?

[A PAUSE] 

**Archivist**

Not at the time, but now... That was something of an initiation for her.

**Harrison**

So we can never get her back?

**Archivist**

Do you want her back?

**Harrison**

Not really. I want my grandfather back though.

**Archivist**

( _quietly_ ) I know. 

**Harrison**

So is that it? Do I have to do anything else?

**Archivist**

No, that was all. Unless there's something else you want to say...

**Harrison**

I don't think there _is_ anything else. 

**Archivist**

Of course. Do you need a minute?

**Harrison**

Please. 

**Archivist**

Alright. Take as much time as you need. 

**Harrison**

Thank you.

[CLICK] 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :(


	30. supplemental

[CLICK]

[SOUNDS OF A TAP RUNNING, WATER FILLING A GLASS. THE TAP IS SWITCHED OFF AND THE GLASS IS PLACED ON A SURFACE]

**Martin**

Here. 

**Anna**

Thanks

[A LONG PAUSE. MARTIN TAKES A DEEP BREATH]

**Martin**

He will be okay

**Colin**

Will he? Mr Sims said these cause trauma nightmares. Trauma nightmares aren't okay.

**Martin**

Jon's been practicing. Without the Institute, they're easier to control. 

**Megan**

Easier to control isn't 'Harrison won't have trauma nightmares'. 

**Colin**

Why would Mr Sims even agree to this?

**Martin**

I know, I know. I'm sorry. You're all worried about him, I understand. 

**Anna**

We just don't want him to get hurt.

**Martin**

_(sighing)_ If he's giving a statement then I'm afraid we are well past that point. Jon will keep an eye on him, I promise.

**Anna**

( _firmly_ ) Not the right phrase. 

**Martin**

Sorry. We can recommend some counselling sessions if you like. Not just for Harrison, for you lot as well. It can be good to talk about these things.

**Colin**

Yeah. Yeah, that's probably a good idea. 

**Martin**

I'll find the number for you. 

[A DOOR OPENS]

**Martin**

Everything alright?

**Archivist**

He's just taking a moment. How are you all holding up?

**Megan**

We're worried about him. 

**Archivist**

That's understandable. I think he'll be okay. He's a strong kid, and his father is a good man. They've looked after each other for this long, they won't stop now. 

**Megan**

And the dreams? 

**Archivist**

( _sighing_ ) I've been better recently. I can usually stop them from happening, it just takes a bit of focus. On bad days I'm usually quite careful, I nap during the day or I drink as much caffeine as I can without breaking myself. It's not perfect, but it's far better than the alternative. 

**Colin**

Is there anything we can do to help?

**Archivist**

Talk to him. Don't expect him to tell you anything, but just make sure he knows you're his friends. 

**Anna**

Is that it?

**Archivist**

That's enough. For now, at least. 

[A LONG SILENCE. EVERYONE IS CONSIDERING THE DAYS EVENTS. EVENTUALLY, A DOOR OPENS] 

**Harrison**

Hi guys. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> people seemed to be worried about harrison, so i decided to put this in as a little bonus just to reassure you all that he is Okay(ish) 
> 
> next chapter we will be back to some more lighthearted banter, with the kids having a fun chill day out!


	31. fun day out with friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a day out is had, anna chooses violence, i panic bc i don't know if arcades are like this everywhere or if it's a uk thing, and colin has some revelations

The sounds and lights of the arcade were dazzling. Anna felt a familiar rush of excitement. 

"Air hockey?" Megan asked. 

"Air hockey!" Colin said, steering the three of them in the direction of the row of machines in question. Harrison had passed on the day out, deciding that the arcade would likely be too loud for him, so the trio had promised to win him some keyrings. 

Megan and Colin took the first round of air hockey while Anna stood to the side and narrated it in a terrible announcer voice. Colin scored the final goal and he tackled her into a bear hug in celebration, sending her reeling backwards, her laughter covering Megan's shouts of protest. 

Colin took them over the claw machine, poking Anna's arm as he went past her. She giggled, kicking out at his shin. He danced away as he tried to put the money into the machine. 

"Stop!" He laughed. 

"You started it!" 

"Children, please." Megan leant around Colin. "Try and get that one at the back." She pointed at a sad looking stuffed dog, all droopy ears and shiny bead eyes. Colin manoeuvred the claw so it was over the dog, then lowered it. It gripped it, lifting it until it was rocking precariously over the sea of stuffed toys. 

Anna giggled and leant closer to Colin, propping her chin on his shoulder. 

"Win me something."

"Of course." He grinned. 

"Wow, the hetero energy is killing me. Enjoy your straight awkwardness, I'm leaving." Megan laughed, turning away and heading towards the back of the arcade. 

Anna coughed once, letting go of Colin. "Ha. Shes funny." 

"Sure." Colin nodded. The toy slipped out of the claw. "Damn. Ah well." He span around, marching off in the direction of the 2p machines. 

Anna frowned. She hurried after him, catching up with him just as he was dropping the first coin into the slot. 

"What's up?" She bumped against his shoulder.

"Nothing."

"Colin."

"I'm fine." He sighed. "It's just... I'm thinking way too much into something and it's bothering me. I know it's not a problem, but I just don't really know. It changes things, I guess."

"Okay." Anna propped her elbows against the two pence machine. "Want to talk about it?" 

One of the coins knocked a small stack of coins tumbling down into the collection tray. 

"It's just about what Megan said. About me being straight." 

"Right."

"And I just... I don't know."

"You think you're not straight?" 

"I think so? It's weird and complicated. I know I like girls, but I'm pretty sure I also like... not girls. Or just people, I guess. I don't really think about it."

Anna nodded. "I see. Have you told anyone else?" 

"Mum. She said she'll love and support me even if I am gay, but I know I'm not gay. I like girls! But- people!" He waved his hands, annoyed. 

Anna chuckled. "Alright, you're spiralling so much Helen is about to show up."

Colin snorted, rolling his eyes. "Don't be funny in the middle of my possibly gay panic." 

"Sorry." She reached over and stole one of the coins, dropping it into the narrow chute. "What are you going to do?"

"I don't know. I know there's names for this stuff, but I don't know where to look."

"You could ask Megan or Harrison?"

"No offence, but maybe coming out to one friend is stressful enough for today. I don't know if I could handle more than that."

Anna hummed, nodding. "Well, Megan talked to Martin about it, maybe you could talk to Mr Sims?"

Colin laughed. "Megan works with Martin, Mr Sims is just our history teacher who we have a pseudo-parental relationship with."

"Get you with the big words."

"I learned from the best." He sighed. "Why is this stuff so weird, why can't it just be simple?"

"I have no idea."

"And then _gender_???" He was on a roll now. "What's the deal with that??"

"To be honest, I don't know. I'm the wrong person to ask. I'm here if you want to talk about all of this, but my actual knowledge is super lacking." 

"Mine too." He glanced over at her. "Thanks for listening though."

"Anytime." A keyring tumbled into the collection tray. Colin crouched and fished it out. 

"Here. As a thank you." 

Anna took it and held it to her heart, grinning at him. "I will treasure it forever." 

A bag of sweets hit the side of Colin's head. Anna turned to see a cackling Megan holding a handful of tickets. "Guess who finally beat that stupid piano game."

Anna laughed as Colin threw the sweets back at her, nearly hitting a passing woman who glared at them angrily. Colin ducked behind Anna as Megan howled with laughter, grabbing at Anna's shirt to keep herself upright. 

A few games later and they had a substantial armful of tickets and an answer to the question 'Is Megan better than Anna at DDR?'. They traded their tickets for some cheap terrible keyrings for Harrison and a handful of sweets. 

On their way out, Anna pulled them all into a tiny photo booth. They crowed in together, with Megan half across Colin's lap and Anna's face partially buried in Colin's hair. 

Anna looped her arm through the crook in Colin's elbow. He gave her a crooked grin, all toothy and delighted. Anna felt herself grin back. 

When Colin texted her a few days later asking her to help him experiment with pronouns, she readily agreed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me writing this chapter: got me one of them he/theys 
> 
> pls remember that these guys exist in another dimension where the world isn't quite so fucked up, pls wear a mask and socially distance if you're going out with friends


	32. merry christmas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> me writing this chapter: i'm going to give the gays everything they want

"Here." Martin held out a present, wrapped carefully in paper. 

"What's this?"

"It's Christmas." 

Jon frowned. "It's Christmas Eve. We weren't going to open presents until tomorrow."

Martin smiled, blushing. "I know but-" He gestured with the present. "I wanted to." 

"Martin..." 

"No, it's fine, we agreed. This is more a gesture than anything else."

Jon sighed. Martin's gestures were always infinitely more sweet and thoughtful than Jon's most carefully planned out attempts at romance. Martin wiggled the present at him. 

Jon took it, feeling the way is squished under his hands. Carefully, he tore the paper, feeling the weight of Martin's eager stare. 

A small red hat with white trim fell out and onto his lap. 

"What is this?" 

"What does it look like?"

Jon turned it over in his hands. "A Santa hat. One far too small for my head."

"Yeah?"

Jon narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "I- What?" 

Martin leant forward and kissed him on the cheek. "Wait here." He stood from the sofa, vanishing into the bedroom. Jon sat, blinking, confusion filling his head. 

"What's this about?" He called. 

"You'll see." Martin responded. 

"You're being ever so cryptic."

"Turned it back on you for once. It's nice to be able to surprise you." 

Jon smiled fondly. "You always surprise me."

"I may have outdone myself this time." 

Jon turned to look at the doorway and gasped. 

Martin was stood, arms full of the most beautiful cat Jon had ever seen. 

"Oh, Martin..."

"You were admiring her on the website. Of all of them, she's the one you kept going back to." 

"She's beautiful." 

It was the truth. She was stunning, with large blue eyes gazing at Jon from out of Martin's arms. Her thick grey fur looked like the softest thing Jon had ever laid his eyes on and as he reached out to pet her, she butted his hand with her head. 

"Martin..." 

"I wanted to tell you. I've had to keep it a secret. I went to pick her up earlier, and then I saw the hat and I had to get it."

"It's for her?"

"If she doesn't wriggle away. I haven't tried to put it on her." 

Jon held up the hat, letting her sniff it daintily. She seemed to accept it and let Jon carefully balance it on her head. 

"Oh, look at her." Jon pulled his phone out of his pocket and snapped a shot of Martin, mid hearty laugh, the cat gazing up at the camera with her shining eyes. 

"What are you going to call her?" 

Jon hummed. The cat stared at him, eyes half lidded as she took in the scratches. "I don't know. I need to brainstorm." 

Martin laughed. "Right. 

"She deserves something magnificent." 

"Of course." Martin tipped his head forward, leaning towards Jon. 

Jon caught his hint and stood up on tiptoes to press a kiss to Martin's lips. "You make me so happy. You are the love of my life."

Martin blushed, cheeks turning red. "Oh stop."

"Never."

"Jon."

" _Martin_." Jon beamed at him. "I love you. You are so wonderful. Isn't he wonderful?" He aimed the last question at the cat. She meowed loudly. "See, she agrees."

* * *

**Martin** to **Georgie**

**martin** : 

i've been replaced 

[image id: jon with the cat curled up on his chest. they are staring into each other's eyes, and jon is smiling, scratching the cat behind her ears.]

**georgie** :

welcome to your new role as side chick

**martin** : 

i have accepted it 

he looked so happy

**georgie** : 

bless 

**martin** :

cannot believe i'm going to marry this man 

**georgie:**

:O

**martin** :

sHIT 

GEORGIE LISTEN TO ME 

YOU CANNOT SAY ANYTHING 

I HAVENT PROPOSED YET PLS HE DOESNT KNOW 

**georgie** : 

your secret is safe with me, blackwood 

**martin** : 

thank you 

i just...... i love him 

**georgie** : 

:)))

i wish you too the best 

**martin** : 

thank you 

* * *

**Georgie** to **Basira**

**georgie** : 

you didn't hear this from me 

and you cannot tell anyone 

but i have a fantastic little bit of information about our dear blackwood-sims household 

**basira** : 

right? 

**georgie** : 

a certain question might be asked soon 

twice 

**basira** : 

no way 

**georgie** : 

yes way 

**basira** : 

daisy says 'they are idiots, thank goodness they found each other because no one else should have to deal with them' 

**georgie** : 

romantic idiots

i just want to know who technically asks first 

**basira** : 

my money is on jon 

**georgie** : 

you're on

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :) 
> 
> the cat does not have a name yet, pls feel free to suggest some


	33. happy new year :)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is dedicated to everyone that read this fic this year, thank you 
> 
> you have made this year a truly magical thing when it could've been the worst thing ever 
> 
> i thought it best to end this year with a highly requested chapter 
> 
> i love you all so much   
> oak   
> <3

"Champagne?" Martin leant around the door, bottle in hand. 

Jon's eyes widened. "Where did you get that?" 

"I'm resourceful."

"It looks expensive."

He shrugged. "I saved up. It's a special occasion."

"Oh is it now?"

"Of course." Martin came around the back of the sofa and kissed Jon on his head. "It's our first proper new year's eve here."

"I see." Jon smiled up at him. He lifted his hand to Martin, who took it and let Jon pull him around to the front of the sofa. Martin knelt next to him. "What have I done to deserve you?"

"Terrible things."

Jon laughed, tugging Martin closer. "And I'd do them again if it meant I get to keep you."

Martin blushed and buried his face in Jon's shoulder. 

"Stop being smooth, I'm trying to do that."

"Sorry." Jon said, completely unapologetic. 

Martin shook his head fondly, opening the bottle of champagne with a satisfying pop. Jon cheered quietly and helped him poor it into two glasses. Martin took an appreciative sip, watching as Jon did the same, and steeled his nerves. 

"Jon?"

"Martin, I- oh, sorry, go ahead."

"No no, you first."

"Please." Jon waved a hand at him. 

Martin took a deep breath, trying to calm his panicking heart. "I- marry me. Please."

Jon blinked, once, twice. "Marry you?"

"Please. Oh god, I had a whole speech planned, this isn't what I- I love you. More than anything else in the world. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, and I know marriage isn't necessary for that, but I just- I want to have this. We used to not think that we would have any of this. We went through the apocalypse together. You saved my life when you got me out of the Lonely, and now I'm not lonely anymore, and I want the rest of the world and all the horrible things that still want us dead to know that. I don't need wedding rings if you don't want, but I just want- I want this. Us. For as long as you will have me." 

Martin finished his speech with a sharp, nervous nod, fidgeting with Jon's hands.

Jon stared at him, tears welling in his eyes, completely silent.

"Jon? Please say something."

"Oh Martin." Jon grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him into a slightly tearful kiss. Martin kissed him back, hands on Jon's arms. 

"Wait." Martin pulled back. "Is that a yes or no?"

Jon beamed and stood from the sofa, vanishing out of the room. 

"Jon? Jon, what? Where are you going?"

"One moment!"

Martin stayed on the sofa, staring at the space Jon had just been. Not the reaction he had expected when he proposed to his boyfriend. 

"Jon, I- I'm sorry. I should've checked that this was something you wanted too, I-"

Jon cleared his throat. Martin turned to the doorway-

And almost burst into tears. 

Jon was on one knee, a small black box in his hand. 

"Jon..." 

"I was going to ask you. I had- I had a plan. I bought a ring. At midnight, I was going to ask you."

"But- I asked you."

"You did, you ruined my plan."

Martin was smiling so wide his face hurt. "So that's a yes then?" 

"Only if it's a yes from you." 

"Of course. I love you." Martin stood and knelt in front of Jon, gently cupping his face in his hands. "I love you. I-"

Jon cut him off with a kiss. It was messy, more breathless, elated laughter than actual kissing, but Martin wouldn't trade it for anything. 

They stayed on the floor for a long time, with Jon's arms wrapped around Martin's neck, Martin's faced smushed into his boyfriends- no, his fiancé's shoulder. A long time later, when they had moved to the sofa and curled up against each other, an engagement ring shining on Martin's finger, they whispered promises of the future against each other's lips, and Martin felt so light he could float away. 

"Jon?"

"Yes, love?"

"Thank you."

Jon smiled. "Anything for you. Anything at all." 

"Even a boring, white picket life?"

"Especially that."


	34. tape recorder crimes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aquisedragon suggested a chapter about the kids finding tape recorders in weird places and making a game out of it

"Colin, would you mind moving your worksheet for a moment."

Colin looked up at Mr Sims and nodded, confused. He shuffled the papers to the side. 

Mr Sims clambered up onto the desk and reached up to the top of the cupboard next to Colin's desk. He patted around for a moment until he pulled back, holding a plastic box in his hand. 

He sighed and dropped down from the desk. 

"What is that?" Someone called from across the room. 

"A tape recorder. Don't worry, it's mostly harmless." Mr Sims grimaced at it. 

Anna chuckled and glanced at Colin, who rolled his eyes at her. The tape recorders were something of a joke between them. Anna had found one in her school bag once. A memorable occasion where Colin had found one in the cabinet where the cakes were stored in the cafe had lead to an ongoing competition over who could find them in the strangest place. Harrison was in the lead with the time he found one under the floorboards while he had been helping his dad renovate their bathroom, but Anna was a close second with the one in the library tucked between two books on astronomy. 

It wasn't until Harrison had told them about the statement he had given to Mr Sims that any of them had made the direct connection to him rather than just the, as Colin put it, general spookiness in their lives. 

At lunch, Colin finally asked the question he had been thinking about all day. 

"Guys, does Mr Sims secrete tape recorders?" 

Anna threw down her sandwich. "Stop the clock, we've done it, we've found the worst sentence ever said by a human being."

"Your mind scares me." Megan said, groaning. 

Colin waved their hands defensively. "Hear me out! They follow him about, yeah? They always just appear whenever somethings about to happen."

"So you think he secretes them?" Anna asked, incredulous.

"Secrete might have been the wrong word."

"You think?" 

"I admit to my crimes."

"That's a first." Megan laughed. "And as much as I hate to say it, you might be right."

"Right?! They're just everywhere!"

Anna groaned. "What have our lives become?"

"Wonderfully enriched?" Colin grinned at her. 

"Literal horror stories." Megan took a sip of her water. "Full of death and mystery and a weird amount of hanging out with our history teacher."

"And his boyfriend." Colin looked across the canteen to where Mr Sims was standing in the queue for the lunch service. 

"And his boyfriend." Megan agreed. 

"Who's boyfriend?" Harrison asked, sitting down next to them. 

"Mr Sims. We were discussing the tape recorders." 

"Oh." Harrison cocked his head to the side. "I found one at the bus stop the other day."

"It was on a day out." Coli said, offering Harrison his drink. "Had places to be."

"Colin suggested Mr Sims secretes them." Anna threw a balled up piece of paper at Colin. 

Harrison grimaced. "Bad phrase. Ew."

"That's what they said, but I stand by my assessment." 

"You shouldn't."

* * *

**mystery gang**

**got me one of them he/theys:**

tape recorder update: found one on the roof

**m'gan** : 

how????

**got me one of them he/theys:**

mum got someone in to fix the leak and it was just up there 

whirring away 

collecting our crimes

**pineapple** :

snacking on our sins 

**hrrsn** : 

munching on our mistakes 

**m'gan** : 

update the list?

**got me one of them he/theys:**

ya 

don't forget the cupboard one 

**m'gan** : 

got it 

* * *

**An Incomplete List of Places Where Tape Recorders Were Found**

  * under the bus in the car park
  * anna's bag
  * in the swimming pool (not working, completely waterlogged)
  * the astroturf
  * under harrison's floorboards
  * the music classroom
  * the instrument storage in the music classroom (might have been the same one)
  * cake cabinet at cafe
  * the paint cupboard in art
  * the prop cupboard in drama
  * the prop cupboard in art (go harrison for that 10/10 still life)
  * in the potato basket at the farm shop (martin got rid of it)
  * the library
  * at the train station
  * somewhere in wales (this did not have enough vowels for us to spell out, sorry harrison)
  * in the fridge at megan's work
  * the woods (very vague anna, thanks for that)
  * vending machine at harrison's dance studio
  * under toby's pillow
  * inside a bag of crisps
  * inside a loaf of bread
  * inside a second loaf of bread


  * the roof of the cafe
  * on top of the cupboard in the history classroom
  * the bus stop
  * in our hearts :) (this is why colin isn't allowed editing rights anymore)



**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ty to my discord server for helping me with the list of places that the tape recorders have been found


	35. misunderstandings pt 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> misunderstanding are funny sometimes

**mystery gang**

**welsh is my first language:**

is anna okay?

**mgn** :

cannot tell, she hasn't moved in five minutes 

**love is stored in the he/they:**

omg guys get off your phone in class /s 

anna mitchell tell us what's wrong challenge

**i think the entities should vote:**

megan

important question

what is martin's surname?

**mgn** :

blackwood, why?

**i think the entities should vote:**

GODDAMN IT WHY DOES THIS KEEP HAPPENING 

okay i have some news :) 

**love is stored in the he/they:**

what news?

**i think the entities should vote:**

:) 

**mgn** : 

fear

**welsh is my first language:**

is everything okay?

**i think the entities should vote:**

oh everything is wonderful 

nothing dramatic here at all

no groundbreaking news, no sir

**love is stored in the he/they:**

okay i am legit worried now, what is happening 

**i think the entities should vote:**

you know how last year i got super into poetry 

**mgn** :

uh oh, yeah

**i think the entities should vote:**

:) 

i still follow that one account on insta? 

**love is stored in the he/they:**

the terrible one?

**i think the entities should vote:**

:) :) :) 

**welsh is my first language:**

this is a lot

what happened?

**i think the entities should vote:**

it just updated 

and something about it was Strange 

i recognised some of the parts of it 

**love is stored in the he/they:**

make it quick, sims is coming 

**mgn** : 

scatter!

**welsh is my first language:**

he looks intense, what's happening??

**mgn** : 

woman down 

He ToOk HeR pHoNe 

i am dying, what is this news??????

**love is stored in the he/they:**

mr sims let us learn gossip challenge

**mgn** : 

I Wish To Scream I Must Learn Gossip 

**love is stored in the he/they:**

meet at the cafe tonight for gossip hours?

**mgn** : 

i have work but yes after 

-

Friday afternoons were a slow day in the shop. Very few people decided to go shopping for vegetables and homemade jams after a long week of work, so there was very little traffic. 

Megan mostly ignored the small bell above the door, expecting it to be one of the pensioners from down the road stopping by while it was quiet. 

"Hey! Is Martin working?" 

Megan looked up and dropped her pen. 

Of all of the things she had expected, being face to face with Georgie Barker and Melanie King was _extremely_ low on the list. They were stood, bundled up in coats against the cold air outside with suitcases by their sides. 

"Uh, um, I- Uh, uh, hi! Hi! I'm Megan!" Megan wanted to melt into a puddle. Puddles couldn't speak. They couldn't embarrass themselves. "Martin works here!"

Melanie smiled. "Okaaay, it's nice to meet you Megan. Is Martin working right now?"

"Yes!" Megan squeaked. 

"Do you know where?"

"Georgie! Melanie! Hi!" Sweet, merciful Martin appeared to rescue her from her puddley future. He rounded the countertop and gave them both a warm and welcoming hug. "This is Megan, she's my coworker."

"She said." Georgie gave her a smile. So, how is the menace you've decided to call your life partner?"

"Jon's doing well! Martin leant on the countertop. "He's eating better, actual food this time not just, you know." He waved a hand. "And he's- Oh, hi Mrs Cordell!" Martin waved as one of their regulars came in, dragging her shopping trolley behind her. "Need a hand?" He set off across the shop floor towards her, quickly falling into an easy conversation about the soup she was planning to make for when her grandson came to visit over the weekend. Martin started loading up a basket with the ingredients for her, oohing and ahhing at appropriate moments as she told him all about her grandson and his university course down in Portsmouth.

Melanie chuckled and turned towards Georgie. "He doesn't change." 

"Nor Jon."

"Mr Sims is my teacher." Megan piped up, mentally kicking herself for interrupting. 

"Really?" Melanie looked delighted, her eyebrows raised behind her glasses. She leant towards Megan conspiratorially. "Is he any good?" 

"I think so. He's not as boring as some of the others. He does sometimes get sidetracked though." 

She shook her head fondly. "Yeah, he's like that."

"Can I-" Megan stopped herself. This question might be slightly too weird. Oh well. "Did you actually stab him?" 

Melanie beamed as Georgie cackled. "Oh yeah, the asshole deserved it."

Megan mentally made a note to give a fiver to Anna. "I never actually believed him."

"Trust me, him being stabbed is one of the more believable things that's ever happened to him." 

Mrs Cordell coughed politely from where she had just appeared next to Georgie, giving them all an odd look. 

"Oh, sorry!! Here, I'll put all this through for you." Megan said, taking the offered basket. Martin gave her a thumbs up from where he was lurking near the door. Megan glanced at the clock and saw that there was only a few minutes left until closing. She scanned Mrs Cordell's items, only just managing not to drop several of them from how much her hands were shaking. 

Once her groceries were bagged, Mrs Cordell hobbled over to Martin and gave him a very drawn out goodbye, telling him exactly what time she'd be in next week if her current plans didn't change. Martin humoured her, chattering away with her about all of her plans. As they talked, Megan cleared up the desk, hanging her apron up on the hooks and turning off the lights. 

When Mrs Cordell finally left, hobbling away down the street, Martin waved her out and turned to Megan. 

"Do you need a lift?"

"No!" She said slightly too quickly. "No, I'm good! Thank you! I'll see you tomorrow!" 

"Okay, well, get home safe, okay?"

She gave him a double thumbs up and ducked out of the door. 

Martin watched Megan power walk down the street, just shy of running away. "Well, that went well." He sighed. 

"Poor kid." Melanie said fondly.

"I feel kind of bad, I remember Jon said she was a fan but I completely forgot." Martin chewed on his lip. 

"Will she get over it?"

"Probably? One of her friends was a fan of the Mechs, they seem to have moved on from that revelation fairly well." 

Georgie laughed. "I have some old photos they can look at if they want."

"That might give them too much power. Here, I'll take your suitcases." 

Melanie nudged Georgie. "Is he wearing the ring?" 

She leant towards her and stage-whispered. "He's not. Trouble in paradise?"

Martin chuckled. "I didn't want it to get dirty. Here," he pulled out the chain he had looped around his neck with the ring hanging off it. It sat close to his heart, a constant reminder of Jon whenever he was working. "There you go."

Georgie cooed over it, holding it out for Melanie to feel. "Who knew Jon had it in him?" 

"He's always been a hopeless romantic, he's just usually terrible at showing it." Martin locked the door behind them and set off towards the car. "You should've seen the plans he had for Valentine's Day. I had to talk him down."

Melanie snorted. "Oh god, do I want to know?"

"There were balloons." Martin popped the boot of the car. "And streamers. It was something to behold. I managed to get him to tone it down a bit." He opened the car door for them to climb inside. "It's not far to the cottage, you can bully him about it when we get there." 

"Oh don't worry." Georgie laughed. "I intend to." 

-

**mystery gang**

**mgn** : 

hey anna 

:)

**i think the entities should vote:**

waIT

YOU KNOW????

**mgn** : 

YUP 

**love is stored in the he/they:**

harrison help me they're communicating in riddles 

**welsh is my first language:**

i do not understand what is going on

**love is stored in the he/they:**

what is happening???

**mgn** : 

oh, you know ;) 

**love is stored in the he/theys:**

okay seriously what is happening 

**mgn** : 

i'm nearly at the cafe i'll tell you when i get there 

**i think the entities should vote:**

is martin driving you?

**mgn** : 

no he had something else he needed to do :) 

**i think the beholding should vote:**

:)

**love is stored in the he/theys:**

does anyone else feel like they've missed something?

**welsh is my first language:**

yeah....

-

**mgn** to **i think the entities should vote**

**mgn** : 

well then 

**i think the entities should vote:**

ikr!!! 

**mgn** : 

i mean 

it explains why martin has been so happy for the past few weeks 

**i think the entities should vote:**

yeah!!!!

i think it's adorable 

**mgn** : 

oh it absolutely is

do you think they'll announce it properly?

**i think the entities should vote:**

they're sort of private about this sort of thing, but maybe?

i guess we'll wait and see 

**mgn** : 

do we tell the others?

**i think the entities should vote:**

oh definitely, i won't be able to keep this secret 

it's exciting tho right?!

**mgn** : 

absolutely!!!

i was like 'whAT?!'

**i think the entities should vote:**

exciting times 

things are changing 

**mgn** : 

absolutely 

:) 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> anna knows about the engagement but not about georgie and melanie 
> 
> megan knows about georgie and melanie but not about the engagement 
> 
> they both think the other knows their thing 
> 
> ;))
> 
> also i'm considering doing a spin-off fic just with the kids gc, lmk if that's something you folks are interested in


	36. valentine's day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> oh to be 15 and trying to work out relationships for the first time

"Hey, what are you doing this weekend?" 

Anna glanced up at Colin. They were sprawled nonchalantly on the sofa, not looking at her. 

"I don't think I'm doing anything, why?"

"I, uh, I was wondering, you know, if you wanted to, we could- Hmm. Would you like to go to the cinema with me?"

Anna frowned. "What's got you so antsy?"

"Just, you know-" He waved a hand. "You know." 

"I really don't. What film?" 

"You want to?" He perked up, sitting up with a hopeful smile. 

"Sure." Anna shrugged. "It might be fun."

"Yeah! Yeah. Great."

"So what film is it?"

"Oh!" Colin froze. "I haven't found one." 

Anna smiled fondly. "So you asked me to go to the cinema without choosing a film?"

"I didn't think you'd say yes."

"Why not?"

He ran a hand through his hair. "Well, it's this weekend."

"Ah, short notice?"

Colin gave her an odd look. "Sure." 

"Well, find us a film and I'd love to go." 

"Right! I'll do that! Cool!" 

-

Anna found Colin outside the cinema, nervously fiddling with his hair. 

"Hey!" She called to catch his attention. 

They turned. He was wearing a nice shirt, red with small white dots on it, buttoned up to his chin. His curls were even tamed down into something approaching neat. 

"Hey!" They grinned as they looked at her. "You came!" 

"Of course! You look nice."

His cheeks turned the same shade of red as their shirt. "Thank- Ah, you too. You look nice. Thank you."

Anna grinned and gestured at the door into the cinema. "Shall we?" 

"Oh, right, yes." 

-

"That film sucked." 

"Really?" Colin laughed lightly. "I thought it was alright."

"You have terrible taste."

"Do I?"

"You really do. Come on, how could you think that was good?" Anna hopped off the edge of the curb and stumbled, nearly bumping into Colin's shoulder. He laughed and took her arm to steady her.

"I don't know, I guess it was sweet." 

"How? It was awful."

"Fine, next time I'll find a better film." He laughed. 

"Oh, there's a next time?" 

He stopped walking. "I mean, if you want there to be?"

She shoved at their shoulder. "I'm teasing. I had a good time."

Colin stepped up onto the curb in front of his house and turned to her. The small step made them almost the same height. "Anna..." 

"Yeah?" 

He chewed on his lip for a second before answering. "I'd like to do this again some time."

She smiled. "Me too. It was fun." 

Colin nodded and seemed to consider it for a second. He stepped down of the curb, put a hand on Anna's arm, and stood on tiptoes to plant a gentle kiss on her cheek. 

Anna felt her face heat up, a blush spreading across her cheeks. 

"I'll, um. Yeah." Colin turned and vanished into his house, shutting the door behind him slightly more forcefully than they usually would. 

Anna stood staring up at the house for long enough to see Colin's bedroom light turn on. Their face appeared in the window and the froze, staring down at her. 

She waved. After a beat, he waved back. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> happy valentine's day, folks

**Author's Note:**

> me, an 18 year old: oh god what are teenagers like these days
> 
> fr this gave me flashbacks to high school and ouch 
> 
> my teacher!jon is lowkey based off my own history teacher bc if i found out that guy was the vessel of an eldritch horror, i would not be surprised
> 
> title comes from the madness song baggy trousers, which i very strongly recommend listening to 
> 
> come find me [on tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/oakleaf--bearer) or [on insta](https://www.instagram.com/statement_boo_gins/)


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